Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on Wednesday that the vessel recently bombed by the United States in the Caribbean might have been Colombian and carried Colombian nationals. The White House dismissed his remark, calling it an unfounded claim.
U.S. 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 said in a post on X. “The aggression is against all of Latin America and the Caribbean.”
If verified, the assertion would bring Colombia into the fray of a U.S. campaign that had previously targeted Venezuelan boats.
White House Calls Petro’s Statement ‘Baseless’
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.
The official said Colombia is an “essential strategic partner” despite policy differences, and the two countries share priorities including regional security.
The Pentagon and the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Petro’s statement.
There have been at least four strikes in recent weeks on boats the U.S. 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 U.S. 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 U.S. missiles, so we can see if my information is unfounded,” Petro said later on Wednesday.
Colombia’s presidential office did not immediately respond to a request for more details.
Venezuela’s Military Exercises
Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello responded to Petro’s comments on state TV.
“They (the U.S.) 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.
Separately on Wednesday, Venezuela began new military exercises in the coastal states of La Guaira and Carabobo.
During a televised address, Venezuelan Defence Minister General Vladimir Padrino called the U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean a “serious threat” and said Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called for a “counteroffensive.”
In August, Washington doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, claiming that he is linked to drug trafficking and criminal groups.
Trump has played down the possibility of a regime change in the South American country.
The U.S. military deployment in the southern Caribbean includes seven warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, and F-35 stealth fighters.
(With inputs from Reuters)
