US and Ecuador Conduct Joint Military Strike on Drug Trafficker Camp Near Colombia Border

The United States and Ecuador carried out a joint military strike targeting drug trafficking operations near the Colombia border, in the latest demonstration of the Trump administration's willingness to use direct military force against cartel infrastructure in Latin America. The operation, conducted in coordination with Ecuadorian armed forces, targeted a camp used by trafficking organizations that have turned parts of the region into lawless corridors for cocaine production and distribution. The strike reflects the administration's strategy of treating drug cartels as terrorist organizations worthy of military rather than merely law enforcement responses, an approach announced at the Shield of Americas Summit.