U.S. and Ecuadorian forces conducted a joint operation against drug trafficking in northeastern Ecuador, near the Colombian border. Authorities described the action as “lethal kinetic operations,” targeting a training camp used by the Comandos de la Frontera (CDF), a Colombian criminal group composed of FARC dissidents.
Operation Details
The strike, named “Total Extermination” by Ecuadorian officials, involved helicopters, aircraft, river boats, and drones to locate and destroy the site, which had capacity for up to 50 individuals. Neither U.S. Southern Command nor Ecuador’s defence ministry disclosed details on casualties or captures.
Broader Context and Cooperation
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa prioritizes a military offensive against organized crime. His administration recently imposed tariffs on Colombia, citing insufficient efforts to combat drug trafficking across the shared border.
Noboa plans to attend the “Shield of the Americas” summit in Miami this weekend, hosted by the Trump administration. The gathering unites regional leaders to address security threats and organized crime.
“The United States serves as a vital partner in this battle,” Ecuador’s defence ministry stated. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell posted on X: “At Ecuador’s request, the Department of Defense carried out targeted strikes to dismantle narco-terrorist networks and support our mutual goals.”
This operation follows a comparable U.S.-Ecuador mission announced earlier this week by U.S. Southern Command.
