The Armed Forces of Ecuador, with support from the United States, carried out a military operation this Friday in the province of Sucumbíos, which allowed them to locate and bombard a campsite attributed to the criminal drug group Comandos de la Frontera (CDF).
The area was used as a resting zone for alias "Mono Tole," identified as the leader of that structure, and also as a training space capable of accommodating approximately 50 traffickers.
The action was officially presented as part of the operation "Total Extermination," within the phase of "Total Offensive" led by the Ecuadorian Security Bloc.
According to the official bulletin from the Ministry of Defense of Ecuador, the camp was located in the Cascales canton, in the Santa Rosa sector of Sucumbíos, and was part of the "security rings" of the criminal organization.
According to that report, the infrastructure was used both for the protection of leaders and for the training of members linked to drug trafficking.
The statement affirms that the operation was made possible thanks to information obtained through intelligence work and the support of the United States, within the framework of bilateral cooperation mechanisms in security.
According to the text, this collaboration includes the exchange of strategic information and the strengthening of capabilities to tackle drug trafficking and transnational organized crime.
To carry out the operation, the Ecuadorian Armed Forces previously conducted offensive reconnaissance missions.
Large-scale operation
In these operations, according to the report, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, river vessels, drones, and specialized military personnel were utilized, which allowed for the "precise" location of the criminal infrastructure and the subsequent destruction of it.
After the bombing and during the subsequent search of the intervened area, the military found weapons and "other indications" associated with the organization's illegal activities.
The document does not specify what types of weapons were found, how many were seized, or whether there were any arrests, injuries, or fatalities during the operation.
The official statement frames the attack as an action aimed at weakening the logistical and operational capabilities of drug criminal organizations, reclaiming territorial control, and protecting the population.
In that same vein, he emphasizes that Ecuadorian borders "will not be the bases for drug trafficking" and presents the outcome as evidence that international cooperation can block the pathways of criminal networks operating beyond national borders.
The bulletin directly links the operation to President Daniel Noboa's strategy to confront drug criminal organizations "without respite."
It indicates that this policy is implemented through the Security Bloc, led by the Minister of National Defense, Gian Carlo Loffredo, and under the operational command of the Chief of the Joint Command of the Armed Forces, Henry Delgado Salvador.
The text also highlights the United States as "a key ally" in this struggle and emphasizes that the action took place within the framework of bilateral cooperation mechanisms between the two countries.
That formulation positions the operation not only on a military level but also on a political and diplomatic one, presenting the offensive as the result of an established international coordination in the area of security.
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