Fatma Zehra Solmaz
24 October 2025•Update: 24 October 2025
ISTANBUL
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has criticized recent US military strikes targeting what the Trump administration describes as drug smuggling vessels in international waters.
Petro said the operations are “easy” but ineffective in addressing the vast problem of drug trafficking, adding that the strikes are also illegal, CBS News reported on Friday.
The Trump administration has reported conducting at least 10 similar strikes on boats over the past two months, including two off Colombia’s Pacific coast this week. The latest operation took place overnight, when US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the military carried out “a lethal kinetic strike” on a vessel allegedly operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, “trafficking narcotics in the Caribbean Sea.”
Hegseth said, "Six male narco-terrorists were aboard the vessel during the strike, which was conducted in international waters — and was the first strike at night. All six terrorists were killed and no U.S. forces were harmed in this strike."
The US military and the Trump administration have released little information about the strikes, offering no details on targets, intelligence, or casualties.
In an interview with CBS News, Colombian President Gustavo Petro claimed that some of those killed were innocent civilians and reiterated his assertion that the attacks violated international law.
The White House has rejected the allegations, with President Trump defending the strikes as a lawful effort against drug trafficking gangs.
When asked if he would ease his rhetoric to pursue a diplomatic solution, Petro said he was simply responding to Trump in the same manner.
The Drug Enforcement Administration estimates that around 90% of the cocaine entering the US originates from Colombia, and President Trump has accused Petro of failing to curb the country’s drug cartels.
“They have insulted me,” Petro told CBS News. “And a lot, but all I can do is be frank.”
President Trump recently called Colombia “a drug den,” criticizing President Gustavo Petro as “a lousy leader” and “a thug,” and claiming the country is producing cocaine “at levels that we’ve never seen before.”
He called the missile strikes on small boats a war crime and said at least 37 people had been killed before Defense Secretary Hegseth announced six more alleged “narco-terrorists” were targeted on Friday.
Petro said those killed on the boats were not traffickers but people working for them. “Killing the business’ workers is easy,” he said. “But if you want to be effective, you have to capture the bosses of the business.”
He urged targeting major shipments instead of small boats. Meanwhile, President Trump said his war on drugs could soon extend to land operations, and on Thursday, two US B-1 bombers flew near Venezuela.
Petro warned that any US operation crossing into Colombia could spark renewed violence, noting, “I myself was an insurgent myself.” He urged Trump to “talk instead,” adding that Colombia could manage without US aid or tariff concerns if support were cut.
