U.S. commandos recently joined Ecuadorian forces in a coastal operation targeting a suspected criminal hub linked to a narco-trafficking group, according to U.S. officials, in a move that reflects an expansion of military activity beyond traditional battlefields under loosened operational rules.
The joint mission, known as "Lanza Marina," focused on a compound believed to support maritime drug trafficking tied to Los Choneros, an Ecuadorian criminal organization designated as a foreign terrorist group by the U.S. government.
