Owendonovan wrote: ↑Wed Mar 04, 2026 2:34 am
With Hegseth running the military, I think 2 sides of the world in conflict would way beyond his abilities.
U.S. Opens Military Action in Ecuador Against ‘Terrorist Organizations’
U.S. Special Forces soldiers are advising and supporting Ecuadorian commandos on raids across the country against suspected drug shipment facilities and other drug-related sites.
By Eric Schmitt
Reporting from Washington
March 3, 2026
Updated 10:34 p.m. ET
The United States and Ecuador have launched joint military operations against “designated terrorist organizations” in the South American country, the Pentagon said on Tuesday night, in what appeared to be a major expansion of the U.S. military’s unilateral strikes against boats in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific that the Trump administration has accused of carrying drugs.
U.S. Special Forces soldiers are advising and supporting Ecuadorian commandos on raids across the country against suspected drug shipment facilities and other drug-related sites, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters.
The Americans are not believed to be participating in the actual raids, but are helping the Ecuadorian troops plan their operations, and are providing intelligence and logistics support, the official said.
In a 30-second video released by the military’s Southern Command, a helicopter is seen taking off in early morning or dusk, flying over an area, then picking up soldiers. The U.S. official said the video depicted the first in what was expected to be a series of raids across the country, some with U.S. advisers nearby assisting, some with Ecuadorian forces only. In this instance, involving mostly Ecuadorian forces, the official said, it was unclear what the mission’s objective was or whether it was successful.
“The operations are a powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism,” the United States Southern Command said in a statement, which did not provide other details about the operations.
The White House did not immediately comment on the military activity.
Across Latin America, cartels have battled each other and authorities to produce cocaine and smuggle it to the United States. Ecuador, the world’s largest exporter of the drug, does not produce it, but serves as a trafficking route for criminal groups operating in Colombia and Peru.
Gen. Francis L. Donovan, the head of Southern Command, which oversees operations in Latin America, said in a statement that “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.”
On Monday, Southern Command posted footage on social media of a visit with President Daniel Noboa and senior Ecuadorian officials in Quito, the capital, “to discuss security cooperation and reaffirm the United States’ strong commitment to supporting the nation’s efforts to confront narco-terrorism and strengthen regional security.”
General Donovan praised the country’s role in battling cartels, calling Ecuador “one of the United States’ strongest partners in disrupting and dismantling designated terrorist organizations in the region.”
The raids come barely three weeks after Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, convened military leaders from around the Western Hemisphere in Washington to press for further coordination to fight drug trafficking and transnational criminal groups in the region. Since taking office, the Trump administration has made border security and drug interdiction a top priority of its national security policy.
Since early September, the United States has killed at least 150 people in 44 known strikes against boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific that the Trump administration has said, without providing evidence, are carrying drugs.
Legal specialists on the use of lethal force have said the strikes are illegal, extrajudicial killings, because the military cannot deliberately target civilians who do not pose an imminent threat of violence, even if they are suspected of engaging in criminal acts.
Zolan Kanno-Youngs contributed reporting.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/us/p ... tions.html
Are they working their way south?
