US, Ecuadorian forces launch operations against 'narco-terrorism' in Ecuador

James Powel, USA TODAY Wed, March 4, 2026 at 1:07 PM UTC

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U.S. and Ecuadorian military forces launched operations in Ecuador targeting "Designated Terrorist Organizations" on March 3, U.S. Southern Command announced in a statement posted on X.

The statement said that the operations were to "combat the scourge of narco-terrorism." It did not provide any further details on the operation.

"We commend the men and women of the Ecuadorian armed forces for their unwavering commitment to this fight, demonstrating courage and resolve through continued actions against narco-terrorists in their country,” Southern Command Gen. Francis L. Donovan said in the post.

The Ecuadorian Defense Ministry said it is "LAUNCHING A NEW PHASE AGAINST NARCOTERRORISM AND ILLEGAL MINING" in a post on X shortly after the Southern Command announcement. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Azin said the same in a March 2 post on the site.

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The ministry said in a statement to Reuters that the details of the "offensive" operation were classified.

Steven McLoud, a representative for Southern Command, said the Command had "nothing further to add" beyond the statement when reached by USA TODAY for comment. USA TODAY has also reached out to the Pentagon and the Ecuadorian Defense Ministry for comment.

This story has been .

Contributing: Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY; Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US, Ecuadorian militaries launch operations against 'narco-terrorism'

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