Colombian President Gustavo Petro has accused the United States of “murder” and violation of sovereignty after a U.S. strike hit a Colombian fishing boat in September.
Petro said the boat had engine trouble and was showing a distress signal when it was attacked in Colombian waters. He said the strike killed fisherman Alejandro Carranza and violated Colombia’s sovereignty.
Petro demanded an explanation from Washington. The U.S. government has not released any details about the boat carrying Mr. Carranza but President Donald Trump described it as a “drug-carrying submarine” full of fentanyl and other illegal drugs.
Trump responded by calling Petro “an illegal drug leader” who encourages drug production in Colombia. He said the U.S. would stop giving financial support to Colombia because Petro “does nothing” to stop the trade.
The attack is one of several U.S. strikes on boats in the Caribbean in recent weeks. At least 27 people have died so far. Trump said the latest strike hit a vessel “built for smuggling drugs” and that the two survivors, from Ecuador and Colombia, were being returned home.
UN human rights experts have described these U.S. operations as “extrajudicial executions.” Trump defended them as part of his campaign to stop drug trafficking from Latin America.
He also claimed he had allowed the CIA to run secret missions in Venezuela and might order attacks there. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said Trump was trying to turn his country into “an American colony.”
Narco-subs, often made from fibreglass and plywood, are used by smugglers because they are hard to detect and can be sunk after deliveries.
Source: BBC.
