The White House on Thursday denied claims from Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro that the latest U.S. military strike in the Caribbean struck a boat carrying Colombian citizens.
Petro on Wednesday said last week’s operation on a vessel that the Trump administration argued was smuggling drugs into the country targeted a boat with Colombians on board.
The Colombian leader added that he hopes the families will come forward and report the incident. The White House dismissed the accusation, saying it hopes Petro will publicly retract his “baseless and reprehensible” statement.
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“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 United States and Colombia,” a White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Hill on Thursday.
The official noted that “despite policy differences with the current government,” Colombia is still an “essential strategic partner.”
They added, ” We are committed to close cooperation on a range of shared priorities, including regional security and stability, and we remain engaged in efforts that improve the lives of Americans and Colombians alike.”
When asked about Petro’s allegations, the Defense Department and U.S. Southern Command referred The Hill to the White House.
The back-and-forth comes just weeks after the world leader called for a criminal investigation into the Trump administration’s strikes in the Caribbean.
The Hill has reached out to Colombia’s embassy in Washington for further comment.
The U.S. military has conducted four strikes against alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean Sea in recent weeks, killing 21 people, according to the administration. The most recent strike, which took place last week in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, blew up a vessel allegedly carrying narcotics in international waters and killed four people, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said.
Trump pinned the blame on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro for the smuggling of illegal drugs from Venezuela into the U.S. and Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called Maduro’s regime “illegitimate.”
Trump told Congress last week the U.S. is now at war with drug cartels designated as terrorist organizations, providing legal justification for strikes against boats in the Caribbean, which started in early September.
Senate Democrats have railed against Trump’s strikes and forced a vote on a measure, led by Sens. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), to pause the attacks against the vessels. The vote failed 48-51 on Wednesday.