The United States and Ecuador have begun joint military operations in the South American nation against “designated terrorist organizations,” the Pentagon said Tuesday night, in what The New York Times described as a major expansion of the Trump administration’s use of military force in the region.

U.S. Special Forces soldiers are advising and supporting Ecuadorean commandos on raids across the country targeting suspected drug shipment facilities and other drug-related sites, a U.S. official told the Times. The Americans are not believed to be taking part in the actual raids, but are helping plan operations and providing intelligence and logistics support.

“The operations are a powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism,” Southern Command said in a statement cited by the Times, without providing further operational details. 

Ecuador has become a key U.S. ally since President Donald Trump returned to power in 2025, as the administration intensified a controversial campaign of strikes against boats in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific that it has accused of carrying drugs. Since early September, the United States has killed at least 150 people in 44 known strikes against boats, the Times reported, adding that the administration has not provided evidence the vessels were carrying drugs. 

Ecuador, while not producing cocaine, serves as a trafficking route for criminal groups operating in Colombia and Peru, according to the report. 

On Monday, Southern Command posted footage of Gen. Francis L. Donovan, the head of the command, meeting in Quito with President Daniel Noboa and senior Ecuadorean officials “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.” 

The Ecuador raids come roughly three weeks after Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, convened military leaders from across the Western Hemisphere in Washington to press for deeper coordination against drug trafficking and transnational criminal groups, the Times noted. 

On Wednesday, Europol announced the arrest of 16 individuals, including a high-value target, involved in complex money laundering and corruption linked to the Ecuadorian cartel Los Lobos. The operation involved law-enforcement authorities from Belgium, Ecuador, and the Netherlands, the organization said.

Read more at The New York Times