US and Ecuador Launch Joint Military Operations Against Narco-Terrorist Organizations

The United States and Ecuador launched joint military operations on Tuesday against designated narco-terrorist organizations in Ecuador, with U.S. Southern Command releasing footage of the strikes and declaring that the groups have 'long inflicted terror, violence, and corruption on citizens throughout the hemisphere.' The joint operations demonstrate that even as the Iran war consumes the Pentagon's attention and resources, the Trump administration is maintaining its aggressive campaign against drug trafficking organizations in Latin America — flexing military power on two continents simultaneously. Ecuador, which has been consumed by cartel violence that prompted a national state of emergency, has deepened its security cooperation with Washington as its own military struggles to contain the narco-terrorist threat that has turned parts of the country into war zones. The timing of the operations — announced while American forces are actively engaged in the Middle East — sends a deliberate message that the world's most powerful military can fight on multiple fronts at once.