US, Ecuador Launch Joint Military Operations Against Terrorist Organizations

‘The Ecuadorian people have witnessed firsthand the terror, violence, and corruption that these narco-terrorists inflict,’ Marine Gen. Francis L. Donovan said.

U.S. Marine Corps. Lt. Gen. Francis Donovan looks on during a Senate Armed Services Committee Confirmation Hearing on Capitol Hill on Jan. 15, 2026. Tom Brenner/Getty Images

U.S. Southern Command stated on March 3 that Ecuadorian and U.S. military forces conducted joint operations against “designated terrorist organizations” in Ecuador, as the Trump administration continues its fight against narco-terrorism.

“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,” Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command, said in a post on X.

Donavan gave no further details about the operation.

A Pentagon spokesperson told The Epoch Times that the joint effort does not entail U.S. troops in combat.

The announcement comes after Donovan visited Ecuador on March 1 for a two-day visit. He met Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa and senior Ecuadorian defense officials on March 2 in Quito, Ecuador.

During meetings in Quito, parties discussed security cooperation and U.S. support of Ecuador’s fight against narco-terrorism.

“Ecuador is one of the United States’ strongest partners in disrupting and dismantling Designated Terrorist Organizations in the region,” Donovan said in a March 3 statement. “The Ecuadorian people have witnessed firsthand the terror, violence, and corruption that these narco-terrorists inflict on communities across the region.”

On March 2, Noboa announced a new phase in Ecuador’s fight against narcoterrorism and illegal mining.

“In the month of March, we will conduct joint operations with our regional allies, including the United States,” he said in a post on X. “The security of Ecuadorians is our priority, and we will fight to achieve peace in every corner of the country.”

The operations come amid increased U.S. involvement in the region, including the capture of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January.

Military personnel patrol a market as they carry out weapons and drug checks in Quito, Ecuador, on Feb. 10, 2026. Rodrigo Buendia/AFP via Getty Images

The Trump administration in September 2025 classified two Ecuadorian cartels, Los Choneros and Los Lobos, as foreign terrorist organizations.

“Los Choneros and Los Lobos have attacked and threatened public officials and their families, security personnel, judges, prosecutors, and journalists in Ecuador,” the U.S. State Department said in a September 2025 statement.

On Feb. 2, the U.S. Coast Guard detained three suspected narco-terrorists northwest of Ecuador during Operation Pacific Viper, an ongoing U.S. Coast Guard-led campaign launched in early August 2025, to undermine drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

In March 2025, Noboa called for U.S. special forces, with assistance from Brazil and Europe, to dismantle the international narco-terrorist organizations, which have swelled to thousands of armed members.

“We need to have more soldiers to fight this war,” Noboa told the BBC at the time. “Seventy percent of the world’s cocaine exits via Ecuador. We need the help of international forces.”

Ryan Morgan contributed to this report.