Colombia's President Claims US Airstrikes Targeted Colombian Citizens

Fri Oct 10 2025 13:44:41 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a controversial statement, Colombian President Gustavo Petro alleges that a recent US strike in the Caribbean hit a vessel carrying Colombian citizens, a claim the US has dismissed as baseless.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has asserted that a boat bombed by the US was carrying Colombian citizens, a claim rejected by the White House. The US has conducted multiple strikes in the Caribbean against alleged narco-traffickers, resulting in loss of life and sparking diplomatic tensions. Meanwhile, concerns regarding the legality of these military actions continue to grow among regional leaders and international observers.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has said that a boat recently bombed by the US was Colombian with Colombian citizens inside, an allegation the White House called baseless.

The US has struck at least four vessels in the Caribbean in recent weeks, killing 21 people. The US government stated that the strikes in international waters were targeting narco-traffickers.

However, it has not provided evidence or details regarding who or what was aboard, and the strikes have attracted condemnation in countries throughout the region amid concerns they may breach international law.

The US Senate rejected a measure on Wednesday that would have barred President Donald Trump from using military force against the boats.

Petro responded to a post on X by US Senator Adam Schiff, a Democrat, who stated his intention to vote against strikes on vessels in the Caribbean as some lawmakers sought to challenge the use of armed forces in Congress. The Colombian president remarked, a new war scenario has opened up: the Caribbean.

Petro added, indications show that the last boat bombed was Colombian with Colombian citizens inside it. I hope their families come forward and report it. There is no war against smuggling; there is a war for oil and it must be stopped by the world. The aggression is against all of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Petro did not provide further details on the alleged identities of those on board. The US has yet to comment on the identities of the individuals killed in the strikes.

A White House statement indicated it looks forward to President Petro publicly retracting his baseless and reprehensible statement. It emphasized that, while there may be policy differences, the US is committed to close cooperation on various shared priorities, including regional security and stability.

At the EU Global Gateway Forum in Brussels on Thursday, Petro revealed that he requested a meeting of all Caribbean foreign ministers regarding the strikes.

The US posited that its strikes, which began on September 2, were aimed at vessels off the coast of Venezuela suspected of carrying illegal drugs.

The measure considered by the Senate would have required Trump to seek congressional approval for military strikes, but it was rejected in a 48-51 vote, primarily along partisan lines.

A leaked memo earlier this month indicated that the US is now categorizing itself as being in a non-international armed conflict. This framing may serve to justify the use of wartime powers, including the killing of enemy fighters, even without a direct violent threat.

Trump has previously designated numerous cartels, including those in Mexico, Ecuador, and Venezuela, as terrorist organizations, which would grant US authorities additional powers in combating them.