A helicopter takes off from an unknown location in this still image from a video released on 3 March 2026 by US Southern Command, which they said was part of joint operations launched by Ecuadorean and US forces to combat drug trafficking;
Credit: US Southern Command via X/Handout via Reuters
(Reuters) - Ecuadorean and United States (US) forces launched joint operations to combat drug trafficking, the US Southern Command said on Tuesday 3 March 2026, but neither side gave more details.
The Southern Command, which is the US military's combatant command that encompasses 31 countries through South and Central America and the Caribbean, said in a statement on social media website X that the action was meant to combat illicit drug trafficking.
Ecuador’s Defence Ministry said in a statement it was working with the US in an "offensive" operation and added that details were classified.
The announcement came after President Daniel Noboa had said on Monday 2 March 2026 that his government would conduct joint operations with the US and other allies in March, framing the effort as "a new phase against narco-terrorism and illegal mining."
A new US-military-led task force specializing in intelligence collection on drug cartels played a role in the Mexican military raid that killed elusive crime boss Nemesio Oseguera, alias "El Mencho", last month, the biggest takedown of a cartel kingpin in at least a decade.
