US Military Strikes Colombian Rebel Drug Vessel: Escalating Tensions in US-Colombia Relations

The vessel was operating in international waters. (Representative)

On Sunday, the United States reported another strike against an alleged drug-trafficking boat, this time targeting a Colombian leftist rebel vessel, suggesting an expansion of US military operations in South American waters.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth announced the attack as President Donald Trump declared a suspension of financial aid to Colombia, accusing President Gustavo Petro of tolerating drug production. This development has pushed relations between the longtime allies to unprecedented lows.

Since August, the US has maintained warships in Caribbean waters off Venezuela, attacking at least six vessels alleged to be transporting drugs toward the United States, resulting in at least 27 fatalities.

Experts have raised questions about the legality of attacking such vessels in international waters without attempting to intercept them or arrest crew members for trial.

The naval presence has intensified tensions with Venezuela amid speculation that the operation's ultimate purpose might be to remove leftist President Nicolas Maduro, whom Washington accuses of leading a drug cartel.

In Friday's strike, Hegseth stated that US forces targeted a vessel allegedly connected to Colombia's National Liberation Army (ELN), a leftist guerrilla organization. Three crew members were killed in the attack.

According to Hegseth, the vessel was navigating international waters in an area under US Southern Command jurisdiction, which oversees American military activities in Latin America. The exact location was not specified, noting that Colombia has both Caribbean and Pacific coastlines.

Trump has recently engaged in multiple confrontations with President Petro, a former guerrilla leader who has strongly criticized the US naval deployment.

As recently as Saturday, Petro accused the United States of murder following the death of a Colombian fisherman in a US strike in September.

The increasingly hostile exchanges have deteriorated relations between these traditional allies to their lowest point in decades. Historically, Colombia has received more US aid than any other South American nation—$740 million in 2023 according to US government data.

On Sunday, Trump criticized Petro, claiming he has failed to curtail cocaine production despite "large scale payments and subsidies from the USA."

"AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE" to Colombia, Trump declared on his Truth Social platform, adding that Petro is "strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs."

Throughout his post, Trump consistently misspelled the country's name as "Columbia."

Petro responded to Trump's announcement by suggesting the US leader is being "fooled" by his advisers.

"I recommend that he read Colombia well and determine where the drug traffickers are and where the democrats are," Petro wrote on X.

Last month, Washington announced it had decertified Colombia as an ally in anti-drug efforts.

Colombia responded by suspending arms purchases from the United States, its primary military partner.

The United States also revoked Petro's US visa last month after he participated in a pro-Palestinian rally in New York during the UN General Assembly.

In his Sunday post, Trump appeared to suggest potential US intervention in Colombia, though without providing specifics.

"Petro, a low rated and very unpopular leader, with a fresh mouth toward America, better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won't be done nicely," Trump wrote.

Since taking office in 2022, Petro has advocated for a fundamental shift in the US-led war on drugs, moving away from forced eradication toward addressing the social problems that drive drug trafficking.

Under his administration, cultivation of coca, cocaine's raw material, has increased by approximately 70 percent according to Colombian government and United Nations estimates.

(This article has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)