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U.S. Military Joins Drug War in Ecuador: “It Wasn’t Going to Be Just Boat Strikes Forever”

Two government officials told The Intercept that the joint U.S.–Ecuador military action won’t just be a one-off raid.

The United States opened a new front in its world wars, launching joint military operations against what the Trump administration calls “designated terrorist organizations” in Ecuador on Tuesday. Two government officials said it was the first of what was expected to be a larger campaign of raids.

Part of Operation Southern Spear — the U.S. military’s illegal campaign of strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean — the expansion of America’s conflicts in Latin America comes as the U.S. is heavily engaged in fighting a new war in Iran.

“This was always going to escalate,” said one government official briefed on Southern Spear who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss classified information. “It wasn’t going to be just boat strikes forever.”

U.S. Special Operations forces are now assisting in raids by elite Ecuadorian forces on suspected drug cartel “processing and shipping” facilities, according to a second U.S. government official who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to restrictions on sharing the information. 

It is unclear if U.S. forces are engaged in ground combat alongside their partner forces, as is common in America’s secret wars elsewhere in the world, or simply providing support in intelligence, logistics, and mission planning.

“The operations are a powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism,” U.S. Southern Command said in a spare statement announcing the latest front in President Donald Trump’s globe-spanning wars. A short video accompanying the post on X shows footage of helicopters without context. 

The military operation came a day after Marine Gen. Francis Donovan, commander of SOUTHCOM, met with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa in Quito, Ecuador, 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.” He teased the possibility the U.S. would “expand” its military ties with the South American nation.

Trump Administration Conjures Up New “Terrorist” Designation to Justify Killing Civilians

“Ecuador is one of the United States’ strongest partners in disrupting and dismantling Designated Terrorist Organizations in the region,” said Donovan. “The Ecuadorian people have witnessed firsthand the terror, violence, and........

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