Ecuador's Defense Minister says there are "well-founded" reasons to believe the U.S. aided Colombia's air force in a cross-border raid on a rebel camp in Ecuador's jungle last March.

Javier Ponce says Colombia's president needs to clarify what happened during the raid, claiming that the U.S. government "was the first to congratulate him for violating our territorial sovereignty."

Ecuador severed diplomatic ties with Colombia following its attack on a guerrilla camp in Ecuador that killed 25 people, including a rebel leader, Ecuadorean and four Mexicans.

President Rafael Correa accused the CIA of infiltrating Ecuador's intelligence services in April.

A spokesman at the U.S. embassy in Quito could not be reached Thursday for comment.