On Sept. 16, under the direction of #SOUTHCOM, Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere (JTF-WHEM) forces successfully interdicted a floating refueling station supporting illicit at-sea drug trafficking operations in the Eastern Pacific.
Intelligence confirmed the vessel's involvement with the Los Choneros violent narco-terrorist organization. Individuals removed from the vessel have been transferred to Ecuadorian authorities. After clearing the vessel and disembarking the crew, U.S. forces sank it. JTF-WHEM continues to conduct precise and professional operations to dismantle the logistical networks fueling narco-trafficking in the Western Hemisphere.
"Alongside our Ecuadorian partners, we are relentlessly pursuing narco-terrorists who prey on our citizens, undermine hemispheric security, and leave death and suffering in their wake. This deliberate, lawful, and precise operation saves lives and makes our citizens—from Ecuador to the United States—safer." - SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan
#A3C #JTFWHEM @DeptofWar@SecWar@USMC@USNavy@USEmbassyEc@DefensaEc@The24MEU
Father Walter Ciszek was an American priest who was arrested by the Soviet secret police for daring to minister in a communist regime that was waging war on religion.
Following 5 years of solitary confinement in Lubyanka Prison, Father Ciszek was sentenced to 15 years of forced labor in the Gulag. He refused to denounce his religion. His life stands as a testament to courage, faith, and resistance to communist repression.