Ecuador to launch military operations to fight terrorism -minister
2 minute read · April 28, 2023 2:56 PM UTC · Last Updated 7 hours ago
By Alexandra Valencia
QUITO, April 28 (Reuters) - Ecuador's military will launch special-forces operations nationally in a bid to counter groups and individuals who commit terrorism in the country, Defense Minister Luis Lara said on Friday.
Ecuador's security council declared terrorism a threat to the South American country's security late on Thursday, urging the implementation of measures to combat criminal groups.
The security council also requested that President Guillermo Lasso issue a decree authorizing the use of lethal force by security forces to combat organized criminal groups.
Lasso, a conservative former banker, has struggled to stem rising crime and violence on Ecuador's streets and in prisons, which the government attributes to conflicts over territory and power between drug-trafficking gangs.
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