Alias Charlie: Ecuador Says Three Men Were Killed in a Manabí Operation on 23 September 2026
ECUADOR · SECURITY
Key Facts
- —The country. Ecuador has roughly 18 million people. President Daniel Noboa has governed since November 2023 and won a full term in 2025.
- —The money. Ecuador uses the United States dollar as its national currency and has done so since 2000. There is no exchange-rate risk for dollar earners, which is one reason foreign residents choose the country.
- —The background. Noboa declared an internal war on criminal groups in 2024, and the armed forces have been used in policing tasks since then. Los Choneros is an Ecuadorian criminal organisation. SOUTHCOM is the United States Southern Command, the US military command covering Latin America and the Caribbean.
- —The news. On Tuesday 23 September 2026 three people were killed in the El Aromo sector near Manta, in Manabí province, the government said. Ecuadorian Army units intercepted a vehicle, according to the official account.
- —What is contested. No identity is legally confirmed. The Defence Ministry said the legal identities remain pending forensic examination. “Charlie” is an alias, and it is one the authorities themselves used.
- —What it means for you. No access restriction, curfew or evacuation was reported around El Aromo. No security-force casualties were reported either. The site is the grounds of the never-completed Refinería del Pacífico.
- —The caveat. The account rests on two posts on X, one by President Noboa and one by Defence Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo. SOUTHCOM issued no statement of its own that could be located, no source says who fired, and there is no independent confirmation.
Ecuador’s government says three men were killed in an operation against alias Charlie, and that no identity is yet confirmed.
What the government says happened
Ecuador’s government says three people were killed in a military operation on Tuesday 23 September 2026. One of them was a man the authorities identified by the alias “Charlie”. The other two were described as members of his security detail.
The location was the El Aromo sector near Manta, in the coastal province of Manabí. The site is the grounds of the Refinería del Pacífico, a refinery project that was never completed.
According to the official account, Ecuadorian Army units intercepted a vehicle. The Manabí police command also took part in the operation. No security-force casualties were reported.
The United States Southern Command, known as SOUTHCOM, is described in that account as providing support and coordination. SOUTHCOM is the US military command responsible for Latin America and the Caribbean.
No source states who fired. The government has not said, and no independent account has appeared. Security forces said they seized one rifle, a further firearm and one explosive device.
Who the government says was killed
Defence Minister Gian Carlo Loffredo called the man “one of the highest value military targets in the country”. He described him as a logistics operator and financial handler for international drug trafficking networks.
Loffredo alleged links to three organisations. Those are Los Choneros in Ecuador, the Frente Oliver Sinisterra in Colombia, and the Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel in Mexico, usually shortened to CJNG.
All of that is the official version. It has not been tested in court, and the ministry published no supporting evidence. The ministry’s own wording also matters. It called the man an operator and a financier, not a leader. Some Ecuadorian outlets have called him a Choneros “cabecilla”, or ringleader, which goes further than the ministry did.
President Daniel Noboa posted his own message on X on 23 September 2026. He wrote: “Este es el resultado para quienes buscan amenazar a los ecuatorianos y para quienes creen que pueden financiar el crimen desde cualquier parte del mundo.”
That translates as follows. This is the result for those who seek to threaten Ecuadorians. It is also the result for those who believe they can finance crime from anywhere in the world. Noboa added that the battle “no termina en nuestras fronteras”. In English, it does not end at our borders.
What is not established
No identity is legally confirmed. Ecuador’s Defence Ministry said the legal identities of the dead “permanecen pendientes de los peritajes”. They remain pending forensic examination.
No real name has been released for any of the three. “Charlie” is an alias, and it is one the authorities used themselves, which is why it can be reported as their term.
The man was not a convicted figure. The government had designated him a military objective. Even the identification as “Charlie” is at this stage a government claim awaiting forensic work.
The account has not been independently confirmed. Wire copy from AFP and EFE rests on two social media posts: one from President Noboa, one from Defence Minister Loffredo.
SOUTHCOM issued no statement of its own that could be located. So the only public sources for what happened at El Aromo are two members of the Ecuadorian cabinet.
The wider campaign, and what it means on the ground
This operation sits inside a longer campaign. Noboa declared an internal war on criminal groups in 2024, and soldiers have carried out policing tasks since then.
There is also a maritime dimension. United States forces have struck vessels off Ecuador since late August 2026, on suspicion of drug trafficking.
For residents of Manabí, the practical picture has not changed. No access restriction was reported around El Aromo. No curfew and no evacuation were announced.
For anyone living in Ecuador or moving there, the useful habit is source discipline. Major security events here are often announced first on ministers’ social media accounts. Detailed confirmation follows slowly, and sometimes it does not follow at all.
The next concrete step is the forensic report. Until the ministry publishes identifications, the names attached to this operation remain claims rather than settled facts.
Sources
- Primicias — operativo alias Charlie
- El Diario — tres abatidos en los terrenos de la Refinería del Pacífico
- Expreso — nexos con Choneros, CJNG y Frente Oliver Sinisterra
- El Universo — Noboa anuncia la operación
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How many people were killed?
Three. The government says they were a man it identified by the alias “Charlie” and two members of his security detail. No security-force casualties were reported.
Is the identification confirmed?
No. Ecuador’s Defence Ministry said the legal identities remain pending forensic examination, and no real name has been released. “Charlie” is an alias used by the authorities themselves.
Did United States forces kill the men?
No source says who fired. The official account describes SOUTHCOM, the US Southern Command, as providing support and coordination, while Ecuadorian Army units intercepted the vehicle. SOUTHCOM issued no statement of its own that could be located.
Where is El Aromo?
It is a sector near the city of Manta, in the coastal province of Manabí. The operation took place on the grounds of the Refinería del Pacífico, a refinery project that was never finished.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error
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