WASHINGTON, United States, March 4, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The US military command responsible for strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific confirmed on Tuesday it had started joint operations with Ecuador to combat drug trafficking.

US Southern Command (SOUTCHOM) said both countries had 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," it said in a post on X.

"Together, we are taking decisive action to confront narco-terrorists who have long inflicted terror, violence, and corruption on citizens throughout the hemisphere."

The announcement came a day after the South American country said Washington had joined a "new phase" in its war on drugs.

Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa, a close ally of US President Donald Trump, said Washington was among "regional allies" taking part in the operation against drug cartels, which use ports to smuggle cocaine to international markets.

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.

Around 70 percent of the drugs produced by Colombia and Peru, the world's largest and second-largest cocaine producers, respectively, are shipped through neighboring Ecuador.

The drug trade has unleashed a bloody turf war that has turned one of Latin America's safest countries into one of its deadliest in the space of a few years.

The United States and Ecuador have boosted their security cooperation since the right-wing Noboa came to power in 2023.

Noboa last year pushed for the reopening of a shuttered US military base but was shot down by Ecuadorans who voted in a November referendum against overturning a ban on foreign bases.

In December, the United States announced a temporary deployment of Air Force personnel to the former US base in the port city of Manta.