US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to discuss bolstering security cooperation Thursday in violence-swept Ecuador, as he champions a shoot-first crackdown on the region's criminal groups.

Rubio will meet Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa, who has deployed troops to combat violence that has transformed the country from one of Latin America's safest to one of its most dangerous.

The stop comes two days after US forces said they blew up an alleged drug-running boat from a gang tied to Venezuela's leftist government, in an operation President Donald Trump said killed 11 people.

In Noboa, a businessman who has consolidated power since his surprise 2023 victory, Rubio could find a new ally in his campaign to strengthen security-minded right-wing leaders across Latin America.

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