Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the US will blow up foreign crime groups if needed, possibly in collaboration with other countries.
Now they're gonna help us find these people and blow them up, if that's what it takes, Rubio said during a visit to Ecuador.
He also announced the US will designate two of Ecuador's largest criminal gangs, Los Lobos and Los Choneros, as foreign terrorist organizations.
The comments come days after US forces conducted a strike on a boat in the Caribbean Sea, reportedly killing 11 drug traffickers, although the identities of those killed were not disclosed.
Late on Thursday, the defense department accused two Venezuelan military aircraft of flying near a US vessel in a highly provocative move designed to interfere with our counter narco-terror operations. Venezuela has not yet responded to this allegation.
During the visit, Rubio emphasized the collaboration with co-operative governments to combat smugglers, stating, The president wants to wage war on these groups because they've been waging war on us for 30 years without response. But there's no need to do that in many cases with the friendly governments, because they'll help us.
However, both the Ecuadorian and Mexican governments have remained silent on whether they would support military strikes.
In response to a recent military operation that targeted members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua transporting illicit narcotics, President Donald Trump supported the action and remarked on its significance against drug trafficking operations.
Legal experts raised concerns that the recent strike might violate international human rights and maritime laws.
Rubio also revealed plans for providing $13.5 million in security aid and $6 million in drone technology to enhance Ecuador's efforts against drug trafficking as violence continues to escalate in the region.
Violence in Ecuador has surged in recent years, driven by battles between criminal gangs for control of lucrative cocaine routes, with approximately 70% of the world's cocaine passing through the country en route to markets in the US, Europe, and Asia.
The designation of these gangs as terrorist organizations was requested by Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, who regards the fight against criminal groups as a war and expressed support for US military involvement.
Moreover, President Noboa is pursuing amendments to Ecuador's constitution to permit foreign military bases to reinstate cooperation that had ceased since the last US base closure in 2009.
This designation allows the US to target the assets of connected individuals and effortlessly share intelligence with the Ecuadorian government, increasing the chances of coordinated military actions against these groups.
The growing cartel violence in Ecuador has also led to an uptick in migration from the nation to the US, although experts raise questions about how the designation might impact asylum seekers fleeing gang violence.
