HAVANA, January 11. /TASS/. Ecuador is standing up against terrorism and is in a state of war against terrorist gangs, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said in a statement.

"In fact, yes. We are witnessing an internal armed conflict. We are fighting for peace inside the country; we are fighting against terrorists. When it comes to terrorists, and we are at war [with them], other laws are applied to combat them," Noboa said, answering a question from a Canela Radio host about whether the country was at war.

According to the president, the South American country’s law enforcement agencies will continue to battle terrorism and will soon "bring peace and tranquility to Ecuadorian families." Troops from the country’s armed forces and police officers have detained 329 members of criminal groups and liquidated five gang members since the outbreak of armed riots in the country, a previous statement said.

On January 9, Noboa signed a decree declaring an "internal armed conflict" in Ecuador and ordered the neutralization of 22 criminal groups after terrorists took employees of TC Television hostage in a live broadcast after they broke into the channel’s TV studio in the coastal city of Guayaquil. Later, the police detained 13 people and all hostages were released.

The security situation in Ecuador escalated on January 7 after Jose Adolfo Macias Villamar, leader of the Los Choneros gang who is known by the alias "Fito," escaped from prison, prompting riots in several correctional institutions. On January 8, Noboa declared a state of emergency in the country and imposed a curfew.