Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday said the latest vessel in the Caribbean bombed by the US might have been Colombian with Colombian citizens aboard, which the White House called a “baseless” statement.
US President Donald Trump on Sunday announced the latest in a series of military strikes targeting drug trafficking vessels off the coast of Venezuela, although the Pentagon has yet to confirm any such strike occurred on Saturday.
“Indications show that the last boat bombed was Colombian with Colombian citizens inside of it,” Petro wrote on X. “The aggression is against all of Latin America and the Caribbean.”
Photo: Reuters
If verified, the assertion would bring Colombia into the fray of a US campaign that had previously targeted Venezuelan boats.
The White House rebuffed Petro’s comments.
“The United States looks forward to President Petro publicly retracting his baseless and reprehensible statement so that we can return to a productive dialogue on building a strong, prosperous future for the people of the United States and Colombia,” a White House official said.
Colombia is an “essential strategic partner,” despite policy differences, and the two countries share priorities including regional security, the official said.
There have been at least four strikes in the past few weeks on boats the US says were transporting drugs, and the White House says 21 people have been killed in the operations.
The attacks have inflamed tensions in the region and Washington on Monday called off diplomatic outreach to Venezuela.
Petro, who is in Belgium meeting with European leaders, was replying to a post by US Senator Adam Schiff who said he would vote to block strikes against vessels in the Caribbean.
“Let the White House give us the information about the people who died due to the US missiles, so we can see if my information is unfounded,” Petro said later on Wednesday.
Venezuelan Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace Diosdado Cabello responded to Petro’s comments on state TV.
“They [the US] have set in place a death penalty for any citizen they believe they can murder, using the excuse that drugs, according to them, are coming from Venezuela,” he said.
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