US, Ecuador launch joint military operation against drug trafficking

The US and Ecuadorean forces have begun joint operations, targeting powerful drug trafficking networks in the South American country.

According to the US military's Southern Command, the recent operation is aimed at combating and tackling illicit drug trafficking. However no further details were provided regarding the operation.

The announcement came a day after Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa spoke highly of the US as a one of reliable “regional allies” taking part in a new phase of Ecuador’s war on the drug cartels.

Ecuador’s ports are a suitable and lucrative place from which around 70 percent of the world’s cocaine flows through the country.

Four months ago, voters in Ecuador decided to keep foreign military bases out of their country. This move stopped the US from growing its military presence in the area.

On Monday, the South American country held talks with US Southern Command chief Francis Donovan and Mark Schafer, head of US Special Operations in Central and South America and the Caribbean.

During the talks, both sides decided to share intelligence and operational coordination on seaports and airports in a crackdown on cartels.

"Together, we are taking decisive action to confront narco-terrorists who have long inflicted terror, violence, and corruption on citizens throughout the hemisphere," the US Southern Command said.

For the US, tackling drug trafficking is the top priority. Therefore, last September, the Trump administration carried out more than forty strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean

Lately, Ecuador has become one of the biggest centers for illegal drug trafficking in the world as its neighbouring countries Colombia and Peru are the world’s largest producers of cocaine.