President Petro accused the US of violating sovereignty, killing a Colombian fisherman in a raid in the Caribbean Sea.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on October 18 that the “drug boat” raided by the US in the Caribbean in the middle of last month was a fishing boat whose engine had broken down, was drifting and had sent a distress signal. On the boat at that time were fisherman Alejandro Carranza and two crew members from Trinidad and Tobago.
“Most likely, the fishing boat was still in Colombian waters at that time. US officials killed people and violated our sovereignty. Fisherman Alejandro Carranza has no connection with drug traffickers. His daily job is just fishing. Colombia is waiting for an official explanation from the US side,” President Petro wrote on social networks.
The moment the US raided a “drug boat” from Venezuela on September 15. Video: Independent
Mr. Petro also asked the Colombian Attorney General to study “legal action according to international law and US law” to seek justice for the victim’s family.
US officials have not commented on the information.
US President Donald Trump today personally attacked President Petro, writing on social networks that the Colombian leader is an “illegal drug lord”, but did not cite any specific evidence.
Mr. Trump also announced an end to “all large-scale funds and subsidies” for Colombia. The US President accused Colombia of “not complying with its anti-drug commitments”, criticized Mr. Petro for “encouraging drug production on a large scale” and warned that the US would “end those killing fields with its own hands” if Colombia did not act.
The “drug boat” was attacked by the US military on September 15. Image: CNN
US forces have raided at least six vehicles suspected of being “drug boats” in the Caribbean Sea since early September, killing at least 27 people. Washington has yet to release evidence that the targets were drug traffickers. Experts say such air strikes are illegal, even if they target boats confirmed to be carrying drugs.
The video of the September 15 raid was released by US President Donald Trump, showing the moment the vehicle was hit by a missile and exploded, but all time and coordinate information was obscured. Mr. Trump then confirmed that the attack killed “three terrorists” and destroyed “a boat carrying deadly weapons and poisoning American people from Venezuela.”
[…] Petro said Carranza did not have a connection with drug traffickers. […]