U.S. and Ecuadorian military forces launched operations in Ecuador targeting “Designated Terrorist Organizations” on March 3, U.S. Southern Command announced in a statement posted on X.

The statement said that the operations were to “combat the scourge of narco-terrorism.” It did not provide any further details on the operation.

“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,” Southern Command Gen. Francis L. Donovan said in the post.

The Ecuadorian Defense Ministry said it is “LAUNCHING A NEW PHASE AGAINST NARCOTERRORISM AND ILLEGAL MINING” in a post on X shortly after the Southern Command announcement. Ecuadorian President Daniel Azin said the same in a March 2 post on the site.

Steven McLoud, a representative for Southern Command, said the Command had “nothing further to add” beyond the statement when reached by USA TODAY for comment.

This is a developing story.

Contributing: Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY