On 17/12/2024, the US embassy in Ecuador's capital, Quito, announced a "short-term operation" involving the deployment of US air force personnel, coordinated with the Ecuadorian air force in Manta.

The US embassy stated that this joint effort will boost Ecuador's capacity to combat drug terrorist elements. The support involves enhanced intelligence collection and improved counter-drug trafficking capabilities, protecting both the US and Ecuador from shared threats.

Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, a close ally of President Donald Trump in Latin America, said the operation will help identify and dismantle drug trafficking routes. It will also suppress "those who think they can take over the country."

F/A-18E fighter jet landing on the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford on 17/11/2024. *Photo: USN*

Noboa aims to curb the violence from drug gangs, which has transformed a once-safe South American nation into a dangerous area.

The ports of Guayaquil and Manta are key export points for drugs from neighboring Colombia and Peru. President Noboa argues Ecuador requires outside assistance to combat gangs competing for control of these trafficking routes.

Under President Trump's administration, the US has actively combated drug trafficking in Latin America. Washington deployed substantial naval and air forces to the region's waters. Since the operation began in september, dozens of suspected drug-carrying vessels have been intercepted in the caribbean and pacific, leading to at least 95 fatalities.

The anti-drug campaign has heightened tensions between the US and Venezuela. On 16/12/2024, Trump intensified economic pressure on Venezuela by blockading sanctioned oil tankers from entering or leaving the South American nation. Caracas has called for a United Nations Security Council meeting to discuss these US actions.

Thanh Tam (AFP)