Images of two US Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom helicopters flying over Tumaco, in Colombia’s Nariño department near the Ecuadorian border, set off a wave of speculation on social media this week. Many users assumed the photos showed a fresh, unannounced US military operation inside Colombian territory.
But according to reporting by El Tiempo, the images actually date back to August 27, when General Francis Donovan, head of US Southern Command, was visiting the region. The helicopters weren’t conducting a covert mission—they were simply transporting American personnel who were part of Donovan’s delegation ahead of meetings scheduled in Ecuador. Southern Command later confirmed the aircraft belonged to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365, calling the flight an “operational site reconnaissance” over Tumaco.
The flight was one piece of a broader diplomatic swing. During his trip, Donovan met with Colombia’s defense minister, Jorge Mora, and armed forces commander General Erik Rodríguez, as well as Ecuadorian officials, to discuss trilateral security cooperation. Talks focused heavily on the porous Colombia-Ecuador border, a corridor long exploited by criminal groups to move drugs, weapons, and supplies, and on Pacific smuggling routes used to ship cocaine abroad. The itinerary also took the delegation to San Lorenzo, Ecuador, for a trilateral meeting tied to the international coalition against drug cartels.
Curious about the full story behind the photos and the diplomatic visit? Read the original report at El Tiempo.
Source: La historia detrás de los dos helicópteros de EE. UU. que sobrevolaron Tumaco y generaron polémica en redes (eltiempo.com). English version produced with AI assistance.
Image: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Kristopher Wilson.