Colombia weighs UN proposal to end US strikes in Caribbean

ISTANBUL

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Friday that his country should consider submitting a proposal to the UN to end US airstrikes against alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean.

Pointing to the operation’s “illegal” nature, Petro questioned what Caribbean governments and their people think in a post on US social media platform X.

"Colombia must submit a proposal to the United Nations calling for an end to the aggression against the Caribbean," he wrote.

At least 14 strikes have been carried out since September, mostly in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, killing more than 61 people.

Rights groups and legal experts have questioned the legality of the operations, arguing that US strikes on alleged drug boats violate international law.

The UN human rights chief Volker Turk called the attacks “unacceptable” and urged an independent investigation into what his office described as extrajudicial killings.