Colombian president claims last boat bombed by US was from his country – White House calls claim ‘unfounded’

The Colombian president claimed on Wednesday that a boat The US army struck it In the Caribbean Sea last week it transported Colombian nationals, an allegation a White House official described as “baseless and reprehensible.”

The US military has struck at least four drug boats since last month, with the most recent known strike on October 3 killing four “narco-terrorists” on a ship off the coast of Venezuela, according to Reuters. Defense Minister Pete Hegseth. The Trump administration says the attacks are necessary to stop drug trafficking, however Critics say The administration lacks legal approval to carry out strikes.

And Wednesday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro Written on X: “Indications indicate that the last boat bombed was Colombian and had Colombian citizens inside.”

Petro did not specify the source of his information or why he believed the people on the boat were Colombian citizens, though he said he hoped their families would come forward. The US military did not publicly identify the boat’s passengers.

The White House quickly condemned Petro’s statement. A White House official told CBS News that 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 and prosperous future for the people of the United States and Colombia.”

The White House official also described Colombia as an important partner of the United States despite “political differences with the current government.”

the The first elected left-wing president In Colombia for decades, Petro has periodically clashed with the Trump administration. He denounced strikes on alleged drug boats in a speech to the United Nations last month, and days later, he encouraged members of the US military to “disobey” Mr. Trump’s orders during a protest in New York — prompting the State Department to make the announcement. That would cancel his visa. Meanwhile, the United States accused his government of not cooperating in efforts to combat drug trafficking.

Petro’s latest allegation adds to growing scrutiny of the Trump administration’s campaign of strikes against alleged drug-carrying ships in the Caribbean.

President Trump He threw strikes As part of a broader maneuver to combat drug trafficking and stem the flow of deadly drugs into the United States, his administration has designated several Latin American cartels and cartels as terrorist organizations, and since August, several U.S. Navy ships have been stationed in the Caribbean as part of a terrorist operation. Anti-cartel mission – sparking a violent reaction from the Venezuelan government.

“Each one of those boats is responsible for the deaths of 25,000 Americans and the destruction of families,” Trump said in a speech in Virginia marking the Navy’s 250th anniversary over the weekend. “So when you think about it that way, what we’re doing is actually an act of kindness.”

In notice to Congress Obtained by CBS NewsThe Trump administration described the passengers of one of the alleged drug boats as “unlawful combatants” — a term used by President George W. Bush’s administration to describe members of Al Qaeda — and claimed that the United States was in a “non-international armed conflict” with the gangs.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Wednesday that the attacks are “directed strikes against imminent threats against the United States,” and the president does not need authorization from Congress to carry them out.

But critics — including some members of Congress — argued that Trump was acting without legal authority, and pushed the administration to present evidence that the boats were carrying drugs or that the passengers were guilty of anything. Congress did not authorize the use of military force against drug cartels.

On Wednesday, Senate Democrats He was forced to vote on the resolution Which sought to prevent further strikes. The measure failed by a vote of 48 to 51, but was supported by Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, a longtime skeptic of military force.

“If anyone comes forward with information that you know about justice, those responsible for determining who should be killed will probably tell us their names, provide evidence of their guilt, provide evidence of their crimes,” Paul said. “Is it too much to ask to know the names of those we kill before we kill them? To know what evidence exists to convict them? At the very least, the government should explain how the gang was designated as a terrorist.”