QUITO, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Ecuador is at one of the "most difficult stages in its history" due to violence unleashed by "narcoterrorism," President Daniel Noboa said Monday, pledging his "firm" commitment to restoring peace and security.

Noboa condemned the latest incidents of violence as he spoke during a military ceremony held at the Cotopaxi International Airport, in the central city of Latacunga.

The Ecuadorian president paid tribute to a soldier killed in an ambush in the northern province of Sucumbios, on the border with neighboring Colombia, and a police officer who was kidnapped and later slain in the city of Babahoyo, in the central coastal province of Los Rios.

He blamed the recent violence on criminal gangs and "opportunistic" politicians who want to undermine his administration.

Noboa also condemned the slaying of Brigitte Garcia, mayor of San Vicente, in the western Manabi province, and her aide Jairo Loor, who were found shot dead inside a vehicle on Sunday.

Garcia, 27, was among the youngest politicians in the country and a member of the Citizen Revolution Movement led by former president Rafael Correa.

"The murder of the mayor of San Vicente and her director of communication reminds us that this struggle has not ended, it has only begun. And it also gives us a warning, clear information that narcoterrorism also exists within public institutions," said Noboa, adding more problems "will come to light very soon."

Ecuador is waging a battle against organized crime that led Noboa to declare a state of emergency and of "internal armed conflict" in January to combat 22 criminal organizations blamed for terrorist acts in the South American country. Enditem

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