US and Ecuador Conduct Joint Strikes on Drug Camp in Sucumbios

The United States and Ecuador carried out joint strikes in Sucumbios, Ecuador, targeting a drug camp of the Colombian group Comandos de la Frontera. President Daniel Noboa said the hideout of its leader, Mono Tole, was destroyed. The operation is part of Ecuador’s anti-drug crackdown with US support.

The United States and Ecuador have carried out joint military strikes inside Ecuador as part of an ongoing operation aimed at combating drug trafficking networks. The mission was announced on Friday by the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which said the operation was conducted in coordination with Ecuadorian forces.
According to the statement, SOUTHCOM commander Francis Donovan authorized the operation under instructions from US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The joint mission was intended to support Ecuador’s military in what the statement described as “lethal kinetic operations” against organizations designated as terrorist groups operating within the country.
Officials said the operation is part of a broader campaign to confront narcotics trafficking and organized crime across the region. In a message posted on social media, SOUTHCOM said the United States was working closely with its partners to combat what it called “narcoterrorism.”
The strikes took place in Ecuador’s northeastern province of Sucumbios, a region located near the border with Colombia. Authorities said the location has long been a strategic corridor used by drug trafficking groups because of its dense forests and proximity to international borders.
Ecuador’s Defense Ministry said the operation involved helicopters, aircraft, river boats and drones to track and strike a drug traffickers’ training camp located in the area. After identifying the facility, the joint forces launched an attack that destroyed the site.
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said the camp belonged to the Colombian criminal group Comandos de la Frontera (CDF). The organization is believed to be a dissident faction of the former guerrilla movement Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
Noboa announced that the military operation destroyed a hideout linked to a figure known as Mono Tole, described as a leader within the CDF network. The president shared a video on social media showing a compound hidden in a forested area being hit by an explosion, which sent a plume of white smoke into the air.
Authorities did not immediately confirm whether anyone was killed or captured during the strikes, and officials said investigations were continuing to determine the full outcome of the operation.
The joint mission comes as Ecuador intensifies its crackdown on organized crime and drug trafficking. Noboa, who is seen as a close ally of Donald Trump, has strengthened cooperation with US authorities to stop the flow of narcotics moving from South America toward North America.
Combating criminal groups has become a central policy of Noboa’s administration, which has deployed the military to support law enforcement agencies in confronting gangs and trafficking networks. The government has argued that stronger security measures are necessary to control rising violence linked to organized crime.
In addition to domestic security efforts, Noboa has taken a tougher stance toward neighboring Colombia. His administration recently imposed tariffs on Colombian goods, accusing the neighboring country of not doing enough to curb cross-border drug trafficking.
Earlier this week, Noboa met in the capital city of Quito with Donovan and Mark Schafer. During the meeting, officials discussed expanding intelligence sharing and strengthening operational coordination at airports and seaports in order to better intercept narcotics shipments.
The Ecuadorian president is also expected to attend the upcoming “Shield of the Americas” meeting organized by the Trump administration in the US city of Miami. The gathering is expected to bring together several right-leaning leaders from across the region to discuss regional security challenges, including drug trafficking, organized crime and migration.
The summit is part of broader efforts by governments in the Americas to strengthen cooperation against criminal networks that operate across national borders and continue to pose major security challenges throughout the region.