Colombia's President Slams US Boat Strikes as 'Murder'

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has labeled recent US airstrikes on suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean as an "act of tyranny," raising pointed questions about their legality and human cost. In a BBC interview, Petro argued that using military force against such vessels—reportedly resulting in 17 deaths this month alone—amounts to murder rather than law enforcement. "Why launch a missile if you could simply stop the boat and arrest the crew?" Petro said, suggesting the US approach violates the principle of proportional force: "That's what one would call murder."

The strikes, authorized under US President Trump and mainly targeting Venezuela, are part of a broader crackdown on drug flows to the US, particularly fentanyl. The Trump administration claims members of the Tren de Aragua gang were among those killed, though that claim is in dispute. Legal experts and lawmakers, both in the US and internationally, have voiced concerns about whether the strikes breach international human rights standards. United Nations experts have gone so far as to describe the actions as extrajudicial executions. At the UN General Assembly Tuesday, Petro called Trump to face criminal proceedings over the strikes, the Guardian reports.

In the BBC interview, Petro called for criminal investigations into US officials if Colombian citizens were killed in these operations. In response to the interview, the White House defended the campaign, emphasizing Trump's commitment to using "every element of American power" against narcotics trafficking. The controversy comes as Trump ramps up tough rhetoric and policies against Latin America, including mass deportations and designating some cartels as terrorist organizations. Petro, who has frequently clashed with Trump, dismissed concerns about Colombia's diplomatic standing, arguing that it is the US, not Colombia, that risks further isolation with its current approach.