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As US closes military post, Ecuador hails restoration of 'sovereignty'
The last 15 U.S. troops in Ecuador left the country's Manta air base Friday, officially closing the American military post in what Ecuador's government calls a recovery of sovereignty.
The small U.S. mission flew anti-narcotics flights meant to help catch cocaine smugglers close to the point of production.
But Ecuador's leftist president, Rafael Correa, promised in his 2006 election campaign that he would not renew the United States' 10-year lease on the base, located on the Pacific coast. A new constitution approved in a referendum last year officially prohibited foreign military bases on Ecuadoran soil.
"The Ecuadoran government is very satisfied to comply with a constitutional mandate and deliver on a campaign promise . . . by fully recuperating our sovereignty over the Manta base," Ecuador's security minister, Miguel Carvajal, said.