The United States and Ecuador conducted a collaborative operation targeting drug trafficking in Ecuador, as announced by authorities from both nations on Friday. The U.S. referred to the operation as “lethal kinetic operations.”
Both the U.S. Southern Command and Ecuador’s defense ministry did not confirm any casualties or arrests resulting from the strike, known in Ecuador as “Operation Total Extermination.”
Utilizing helicopters, aircraft, river boats, and drones, the operation successfully located and bombed a drug traffickers’ training camp in northeastern Ecuador near the Colombian border, according to Ecuador’s defense ministry. The camp was affiliated with the Comandos de la Frontera (CDF), a Colombian criminal group consisting of FARC dissidents, with a capacity for up to 50 individuals.
President Daniel Noboa of Ecuador has prioritized a strong stance against organized crime during his administration, implementing measures such as tariffs against Colombia for allegedly insufficient efforts in combating drug trafficking.
Noboa is scheduled to attend the “Shield of the Americas” summit in Miami this weekend, hosted by the Trump administration to gather right-wing leaders from the region to address security and organized crime issues. Ecuador’s defense ministry emphasized the crucial role of the United States as an ally in combating illegal activities.
According to Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell, the Department of Defense carried out targeted actions at Ecuador’s request to support the shared goal of dismantling narco-terrorist networks. This operation comes after a previous joint U.S.-Ecuador operation announced by the U.S. Southern Command earlier in the week.
