Categories: Local NewsTop Stories

Colombian president says boat bombed by US was carrying Colombians

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Wednesday his government believes one of the boats recently bombed by the United States in its campaign against suspected drug traffickers was carrying Colombian citizens.

“A new war zone has opened: the Caribbean,” Mr. Petro wrote on

Mr. Petro did not provide further details.

The US military has launched at least four deadly strikes against civilian boats in the Caribbean since early September, killing 21 people. The Trump administration has characterized its military buildup in the Caribbean Sea as targeting Venezuela and its authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, whom the administration has accused of leading a terrorist organization that is flooding the United States with drugs.

This is the first time another country has claimed its citizens were killed in these attacks.

Most of the region’s cocaine comes from Colombia, according to the United Nations, while fentanyl, which causes many more overdose deaths, is produced in Mexico. Legal analysts have called the attacks on the boats illegal. And Mr. Maduro said the real goal of the campaign appears to be his ouster.

Two U.S. officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the sensitive subject, also said Colombians were aboard at least one of the boats recently destroyed by the United States.

Mr. Petro, a left-wing leader nearing the end of his four-year term, has sharply criticized President Trump’s military campaign in the region.

Mr. Trump has said those killed in the recent attacks were drug dealers, but has provided no evidence and failed to give the public a clear legal basis for the attacks. In the case of the first two boats, the Trump administration identified those killed as Venezuelans. She did not identify the nationality of those killed in the other two attacks.

After Mr. Petro’s announcement, the White House denounced his comments as “baseless” and “reprehensible” and sought to pressure the Colombian leader to retract, according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly on a security matter.

The official said a retraction would allow both countries to refocus on strengthening their relationship, an apparent acknowledgment that Mr. Petro’s statement risked straining bilateral relations between the United States and Colombia.

Julian E. Barnes And Tyler Pager contributed reporting from Washington.

Source link

Ava Thompson

Ava Thompson – Local News Reporter Focuses on U.S. cities, community issues, and breaking local events

Recent Posts

NBA annual survey says Thunder will repeat, Nuggets’ Jokic as MVP

Tim BontempsOctober 9, 2025, 11:46 a.m. ETCloseTim Bontemps is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com who covers the league and…

3 weeks ago

Donald Trump to present Ben Carson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Dr. Ben Carson, recently named National Nutrition Advisor at the U.S. Department of…

3 weeks ago

Federal health insurance premiums will see another significant increase in 2026

Federal employees and annuitants are heading into another year of sharp increases in their health insurance premiums, both under the…

3 weeks ago

Drake’s Lawsuit Against Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us’ Dismissed by Judge

A federal judge on Thursday (Oct. 9) dismissed Drake's defamation lawsuit against Universal Music Group over Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like…

3 weeks ago

10/9: CBS Morning News – CBS News

10/9: CBS Morning News - CBS News Watch CBS News Israel and Hamas agree to first phase of Gaza peace…

3 weeks ago

Letitia James, who sued Trump, indicted for alleged bank fraud: NPR

New York Attorney General Letitia James speaks during a news conference January 8, 2025 in New York. Michael M. Santiago/Getty…

3 weeks ago