US and Ecuador forces launch operation to fight drug trafficking

It also neighbours Colombia and Peru, the world’s two largest producers of cocaine.

The latest operations come four months after Ecuadoreans dashed US hopes of expanding its presence in the eastern Pacific region by voting against allowing the return of foreign military bases in the country.

The referendum result was a blow to Noboa, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, who is trying to fight organised crime and reduce soaring violence.

In recent years, the country has become one of the world’s biggest drug-trafficking hotspots.

On Monday, Noboa held talks in Quito 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 meeting, they discussed plans for information sharing and operational coordination at airports and seaports, Noboa’s office said in a statement.

“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 on Tuesday.

The announcement comes three months after the Washington announced a temporary deployment of Air Force personnel to the former US base in the port city of Manta.

Tackling drug trafficking in the region is a key priority for the US.

The Trump administration has carried out more than 40 lethal strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean since September.

In January, the US seized Venezuela’s then-President Nicolás Maduro, who they accused of “narco-terrorism” and enabling the transport of “thousands of tonnes” of cocaine to the US.

And last month, Trump met his Colombian counterpart, Gustavo Petro, at the White House after months of rising tensions between the pair.

Trump has repeatedly accused Petro and his administration of failing to stem the flow of drugs to the US, suggesting that expanded strikes could also target Colombia.

*bbc*