"We're At War": Ecuador Deploys 75,000 Troops, Launches Anti-Cartel Missile Strikes; Colombia Warns "We're Being Bombed" On Sunday, Ecuador launched a massive anti-cartel offensive involving 75,000 troops , armored vehicles, and helicopters, with support from the U.S., in what Interior Minister John Reimberg described as a "very strong offensive," according to BBC News . "We're at war," Reimberg s...
"We're At War": Ecuador Deploys 75,000 Troops, Launches Anti-Cartel Missile Strikes; Colombia Warns "We're Being Bombed" On Sunday, Ecuador launched a massive anti-cartel offensive involving 75,000 troops , armored vehicles, and helicopters, with support from the U.S., in what Interior Minister John Reimberg described as a "very strong offensive," according to BBC News . "We're at war," Reimberg said. "Don't take any risks, don't go out, stay home." 35 mil efectivos de @PoliciaEcuador desplegados en Guayas, Los Ríos, Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas y El Oro. Listos por 🇪🇨. A las mafias: se les acabó su tiempo. Nada nos detiene. pic.twitter.com/q2vP6CSG73 — John Reimberg (@JohnReimberg) March 15, 2026 The cartel crackdown is part of a new 17-country alliance against cartels, unveiled by President Trump earlier this month. While authorities have not said whether U.S. troops will directly participate in the operation, the two countries have already carried out joint strikes earlier this month, and the FBI is opening a field office in Ecuador to help target organized crime, money laundering, and corruption. On March 3, Ecuadorian and U.S. military forces launched operations against Designated Terrorist Organizations in Ecuador. The operations are a powerful example of the commitment of partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to combat the scourge of narco-terrorism. Together,… pic.twitter.com/MrkKZcrDbs — U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) March 4, 2026 Last week, the U.S. and Ecuador signed a trade agreement that will unlock "commercially meaningful market access" for U.S. agricultural and industrial exports to 18 million consumers, Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a press release. Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa, one of Trump's top allies in the region, has spent the last few years targeting drug cartels and criminals. For context, about 70% of the cocaine produced in Colombia and Peru transits Ecuador. Before the operation, Latin American leaders attend...