Not Just Iran: The US Has Just Begun Military Operations in Ecuador
The United States is widening its role in combating narcotics in Latin America. The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees operations against ships suspected of involvement in drug smuggling in the Caribbean and Pacific, said it has begun an operational partnership with Ecuador to curb illicit drug trafficking.
Citing AFP reports on Sunday, 8 March 2026, SOUTHCOM said the two countries have carried out operations targeting ‘designated terrorist organisations’ in Ecuador.
‘This operation is a strong example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat narco-terrorism,’ SOUTHCOM wrote in a post on X.
‘Together, we are taking decisive action to confront narco-terrorists who have long spread fear, violence, and corruption among people around the world,’ the statement added.
The announcement came a day after the Ecuadorian government said Washington had entered a ‘new phase’ in the war on drugs in the country.
Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa, known as a close ally of US President Donald Trump, said the United States is among ‘regional partners’ taking part in the operation against drug cartels. These groups are using Ecuador’s ports as routes to ship cocaine to international markets.
On Monday, Noboa held talks in Quito with SOUTHCOM head Francis Donovan and Mark Schafer, head of US Special Operations for Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
According to an official statement from the Ecuadorian presidency, in the meeting they discussed plans for information sharing and operational coordination at airports and seaports.
Around 70% of the cocaine produced in Colombia and Peru, the world’s largest and second largest cocaine producers, is shipped through Ecuador. This geographic position makes Ecuador a strategic transit point in the global drug-trafficking network.
The drug trade has fuelled bloody territorial wars and in a few years has transformed Ecuador from one of the safest countries in Latin America into one of the most deadly in the region.
Security cooperation between the United States and Ecuador has risen since Noboa, who is seen as conservative, took office in 2023. Last year, Noboa pushed for the reopening of a US military base that had been closed.
However, that move was rejected by Ecuadorians in a November referendum, which voted against lifting the ban on foreign military bases in the country.
Nevertheless, in December, the United States announced a temporary deployment of Air Force personnel at the former US military base in the port city of Manta.