Petro Describes the Attack on a Boat by the U.S. as Murder

Petro assured that in those boats bombed by the U.S. “there are no narco-terrorists,” but poor young Caribbean people, and reiterated that the real narcos live in the United States, Europe and Dubai. Photo: EFE

October 3, 2025 Hour: 5:51 pm

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Friday criticized a U.S. military action that announced the destruction of a fifth boat in international waters off the coast of Venezuela, allegedly linked to drug trafficking organizations.

Through a message on the social network X, the Colombian head of state assured that in these boats “there are no narco-terrorists,” but poor young Caribbean people, and reiterated that the real narcos live in the United States, Europe and Dubai.

Petro questioned the use of missiles against a boat when, as he pointed out, there are less lethal interdiction methods, such as those applied by the Colombian Navy.

The head of state argued that by opting for disproportionate action, Washington is breaking a universal legal principle, that of proportionality, which turns the operation into an “assassination” and not a legitimate procedure.

In his statement, Petro also called on the relatives of the victims to organize to demand justice and denounce the event in international instances.

The Pentagon, for its part, said that the boat was heading to the United States with a shipment of narcotics, although it did not present evidence on the case. According to the White House, he previously carried out four such attacks and killed about twenty people