Thursday evening brief wrap-up, September 4, 2025.

US Designates Ecuador’s Los Lobos and Los Choneros Gangs as Terrorist Organizations

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Thursday in Quito that the United States has designated Ecuadorian gangs Los Lobos and Los Choneros as foreign terrorist organizations.

The move gives Washington expanded authority to target their members, finances, and operations, and follows a US military strike this week on a Tren de Aragua-linked vessel that killed 11 people.

Rubio said the designation opens “all sorts of options,” including intelligence sharing and direct action, to support Ecuador against groups blamed for the surge in violence since the COVID-19 pandemic.

. @SecRubio : “Today we have designated as terrorist organizations two gr

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