By Nelson Bocanegra and Alexander Villegas
BOGOTA (Reuters) -Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro on Wednesday suggested the latest vessel in the Caribbean bombed by the United States may have been Colombian with Colombian citizens aboard, a statement denied by the White House.
U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday announced the latest in a series of military strikes targeting drug trafficking vessels off the coast of Venezuela, although the Pentagon has yet to confirm any such strike happened on Saturday.
“Indications show that the last boat bombed was Colombian with Colombian citizens inside of it,” Petro said in a post on X. “The aggression is against all of Latin America and the Caribbean.”
If verified, Petro’s assertion would bring Colombia into the fray of a campaign which had previously targeted Venezuelan boats.
WHITE HOUSE CALLS PETRO’S STATEMENT ‘BASELESS’
The White House rebuffed Petro’s comments.
“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, prosperous future for the people of the United States and Colombia,” a White House official told Reuters.
The official added that Colombia is an “essential strategic partner” despite policy differences, and the two countries shared priorities including regional security.
The Pentagon and the State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Petro’s statement.
There have been at least four such strikes in recent weeks and the Trump administration says 21 people have been killed in the operations. The attacks have inflamed tensions in the region and Washington called off diplomatic outreach to Venezuela on Monday.
Petro, who is in Belgium meeting with European leaders, was replying to a post by U.S. Senator Adam Schiff who said he would vote to block strikes against vessels in the Caribbean.
Colombia’s presidency did not immediately respond to a request for more details.
VENEZUELA LAUNCHES MILITARY EXERCISES AMID TENSIONS
Separately on Wednesday, Venezuela began new military exercises in the coastal states of La Guaira and Carabobo.
During a televised address, Venezuelan Defense Minister General Vladimir Padrino called the U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean a “serious threat” and said Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has called for a “counteroffensive.”
In August, Washington doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, claiming that he is linked to drug trafficking and criminal groups.
Trump has played down the possibility of a regime change in the South American country.
The U.S. military deployment in the southern Caribbean includes seven warships, a nuclear-powered submarine, and F-35 stealth fighters.
(Reporting by Nelson Bocanegra and Alexander Villegas in Bogota; Additional reporting by Gram Slattery and Phillip Stewart in Washington; Editing by Humeyra Pamuk, Kylie Madry, Sarah Morland and Deepa Babington)
