Trump Launches Another Military Operation Abroad as Middle East Conflict Rages On

U.S. forces joined Ecuadorian troops on March 3 to launch raids the U.S. military calls a strike against designated terrorist groups in that country. The U.S. Southern Command said the action was meant to fight drug linked violence and strengthen regional security.

President Donald Trump has overseen a wider campaign of strikes at sea and raids on suspected drug sites in recent months. Officials say U.S. special troops are advising and helping plan the Ecuador raids while local forces carry out the assaults.

The U.S. Southern Command posted a statement that began, “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.”

U.S. Southern Command added, “Together, we are taking decisive action to confront narco terrorists who have long inflicted terror, violence, and corruption on citizens throughout the hemisphere.” The release included a short video that showed a helicopter taking off and then cut to black and white footage of soldiers boarding a flight.

Francis L. Donovan praised Ecuadorian forces by name. “We commend the men and women of the Ecuadorian armed forces for their unwavering commitment to this fight, demonstrating courage and resolve through continued actions against narco terrorists in their country,” he said in the post.

News outlets report that U.S. special forces are not leading the raids in person but are giving planning, intelligence, and logistics support. That account of a supporting role comes from officials and reporting by major outlets and reflects the careful line Washington draws between advising and direct combat.

When U.S. forces act as advisers, their job is mostly to help with planning, training, and information. They share intelligence, help map targets, and set up supply lines. This role is often called security force assistance and it is meant to make local forces stronger so those forces do the actual raids and arrests.

Operations like this also rely on host nation consent and must follow the rules of armed conflict. Legal experts warn that actions that hide a force as a civilian craft may cross into perfidy and raise serious legal and moral questions. Clear legal review and public evidence help explain why strikes and raids were needed and how civilians were protected.

The Ecuador operation comes as the U.S. carries out a campaign of strikes at sea against boats it says were linked to drug smuggling. As of late February at least 151 people had been killed in 44 strikes on 45 vessels, according to compiled counts and reporting on the maritime campaign.

Legal experts have questioned whether some strikes meet international law. “Shielding your identity is an element of perfidy,” Retired Maj. Gen. Steven Lepper told reporters when describing concerns about an aircraft used in a past strike.

The current push in Ecuador also follows dramatic and controversial actions elsewhere in the region this year. In early January forces took Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores into U.S. custody and flew them to New York on charges that include narco terrorism and drug importation.

Maduro told a New York court that he is a “prisoner of war” and pleaded not guilty to the charges. That case and the wider campaign have sharpened debate in capitals from Washington to Caracas about where law enforcement ends and war begins.

Featured image via YouTube screengrab.