Joint US-Ecuador military operations against drug cartels in Esmeraldas
The US and Ecuadorian armies are conducting joint counter-narcotics operations in northern Ecuador, near the border with Colombia. The actions are part of the "Shield of the Americas" coalition, backed by Donald Trump.
US and Ecuador conduct joint military operations against drug traffickers in Esmeraldas
The armed forces of the United States and Ecuador have been conducting joint military operations in the northern part of the South American country, close to the border with Colombia, for months, according to G4Media, which cites Agerpres sources. The operations target drug trafficking cartels that control the coastal Esmeraldas region.
"We are together with the seventh group of the United States army (...) we are working together in the fight against narco-terrorism", said the governor of Esmeraldas province, Juan Jaramillo, on Wednesday. The official refused to specify the number of American military personnel deployed in the area and the start date of the mission.
The operations are being conducted in secret and fall within the framework of the "Shield of the Americas" initiative, an anti-drug coalition bringing together approximately 20 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean, launched under the aegis of American president Donald Trump.
Ecuador's defence minister, Gian Carlo Loffredo, announced on Thursday the arrival of two American warships and three Black Hawk military helicopters, intended for surveillance of maritime zones and coastal cities.
Esmeraldas province is affected by a persistent wave of violence — murders, kidnappings and extortion — committed by groups linked to drug trafficking networks that use Ecuadorian ports on the Pacific to export narcotics to the United States and Europe.
Right-wing president Daniel Noboa, in power since 2023, has made combating criminality a priority of his mandate. The murder rate reached a record level last year of 52 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, without the measures adopted so far having managed to reduce it significantly.
Source: G4Media