Colombia's Petro accuses Trump of ‘carrying out extrajudicial executions’ after 9 US strikes on alleged drug boats

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Thursday accused President Donald Trump of “carrying out extrajudicial executions” that "violate international law" after nine US strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats. According to the US government accounts, the strikes resulted in the deaths of at least 37 people in under two months.

“Mr Trump has slandered me and insulted Colombia. The deaths keep increasing like a taxi meter,” AFP quoted Petro as saying.

At least one Colombian is among the victims, a fisherman who, according to Petro, may have taken part in alleged trafficking “intermittently” to escape poverty.

US strikes against alleged drug boats

The US military conducted its ninth strike on Wednesday against an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean, which claimed three lives, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a report by AFP said.

The strike followed another attack on Tuesday night in the same area that left two people dead, Hegseth said on social media earlier that day. Unlike the earlier seven US strikes, which hit vessels in the Caribbean Sea, these latest attacks occurred in the eastern Pacific.

Hegseth posted a short video on Wednesday showing a small boat carrying several brown packages travelling on the water. After a few seconds, the boat explodes and is left floating motionless, engulfed in flames. The second video captures another boat speeding along before it is hit by an explosion. Footage recorded afterwards shows packages floating in the water.

Trump says his government ‘totally prepared’ to begin targeting alleged drug traffickers on land

Trump on Wednesday said that his administration has the legal authority to strike vessels near Venezuela that are allegedly transporting drugs, according to Reuters. However, he noted that the administration might return to Congress if it decides to conduct operations on land.

While speaking to reporters at the Oval Office, Trump said, "We're allowed to do that, and if we do (it) by land, we may go back to Congress.” He added that his government was "totally prepared" to begin targeting alleged drug traffickers on land.

“We will hit them very hard if they come in by land. We'll probably go back to Congress and explain exactly what we're doing when we come to the land. We don't have to do that, but I think ... I'd like to do that,” he added.

Meanwhile, Colombia has formally urged Washington to stop the attacks, angering Trump, who has called Petro a “thug” and drug trafficker. Trump has declared he will end hundreds of millions of dollars in US aid to Colombia and has threatened to impose tariffs on Colombian exports.

A report by AFP noted that if implemented, these cuts would undermine decades of joint security efforts aimed at reducing the flow of cocaine from Colombia, the world’s largest producer, to the United States, its biggest consumer.

(With inputs from agencies)