Colombian President Gustavo Petro has criticized U.S. airstrikes on alleged drug-trafficking vessels in the Caribbean, calling them an “act of tyranny” and warning of accountability if Colombian citizens are among the casualties.
Speaking to the BBC in New York during the UN General Assembly, Petro questioned both the legality and proportionality of the operations, which the Trump administration says are aimed at stopping fentanyl and other narcotics from reaching the United States. Reports indicate at least 17 people have been killed since the strikes began earlier this month.
“Why launch a missile if you could simply stop the boat and arrest the crew? That’s what one would call murder,” Petro said, arguing that anti-narcotics missions should cause “zero deaths.” He added that Colombia has long cooperated with U.S. agencies to seize drug shipments without fatalities.
Washington has offered few details about the campaign, saying it targets Venezuelan groups and the Tren de Aragua gang. UN experts, however, have described the actions as extrajudicial killings, while some Democratic lawmakers in Congress have questioned their legality under international law.
The White House defended the strikes, saying President Trump is “prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice.”
Petro accused Washington of humiliating Colombians and warned that South America would not “bow down to the king.” He recalled Trump previously insulting him during a U.S. presidential campaign, saying: “He called me a terrorist.”
Since returning to office in January, Trump has escalated measures against Latin American drug networks, expanding deportations, designating cartels as terrorist organizations, and deploying additional U.S. naval assets to the Caribbean. Among the groups targeted is Venezuela’s “Cartel of the Suns,” which Washington alleges is linked to President Nicolás Maduro and senior military officials.
