U.S. military forces launched joint operations with Ecuador this week to dismantle international narcotics trafficking networks that have been designated as terrorist organizations.
The mission began shortly after Marine Corps Gen. Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command, met with President Daniel Noboa on Monday in Quito, Ecuador’s capital.
U.S. officials on Wednesday have not released details of the joint mission but said it was meant to confront narco-terrorists who have long inflicted terror and violence on communities throughout Latin America.
“Ecuador is one of the United States’ strongest partners in disrupting and dismantling Designated Terrorist Organizations in the region,” Gen. Donovan said following his meeting with Mr. Noboa. “The Ecuadorian people have witnessed firsthand the terror, violence and corruption that these narco-terrorists inflict on communities across the region.”
Gen. Donovan said the most effective way to defeat narcotics trafficking is through collaboration among regional allies and partners.
“Ecuadorian forces have consistently exemplified this commitment through their actions against narco-terrorists on their streets and in their communities,” he said.
The Trump administration’s highest priority is the defense of the homeland, which means a greater emphasis on narcotics trafficking coming through Latin America. The Trump Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, or Donroe Doctrine, argues that the Western Hemisphere is a U.S. sphere of influence where potential foreign adversaries, like China, are no longer welcome.
Its defining moment was the Jan. 3 military raid on Caracas, Venezuela, where U.S. forces captured former leader Nicolas Maduro. He is being held in the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where he faces federal charges for drug trafficking and conspiracy.
