WASHINGTON: The United States announced another military strike against a suspected drug-running boat operated by Colombian leftist rebels.
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth revealed the attack occurred Friday against a vessel affiliated with Colombia’s National Liberation Army (ELN).
Three crew members died when US forces targeted the boat in international waters under US Southern Command jurisdiction.
President Donald Trump simultaneously declared the United States is halting financial aid to Colombia and imposing tariffs.
Trump confirmed tariffs would be announced Monday after Republican Senator Lindsey Graham previewed the economic measures.
“He informed me that he is going to be hitting Colombia, not only their drug dealers and traders, but also where it hurts, in the wallet,“ Graham posted.
The United States has maintained warships in the Caribbean since August and attacked at least six suspected drug vessels.
These operations have killed at least 27 people while targeting boats allegedly transporting drugs toward the United States.
Trump recently returned two suspected drug traffickers to Ecuador and Colombia after a submarine strike killed two others.
Vice President JD Vance expressed indifference about the suspects’ fate provided they stop bringing “poison into our country.”
Colombian President Gustavo Petro confirmed one Colombian national had been repatriated following US military action.
Petro previously accused the United States of murder in the September death of a Colombian fisherman during another strike.
Trump attacked Petro on Truth Social, claiming Colombia’s leader strongly encourages “massive production of drugs.”
The president announced immediate termination of all US payments and subsidies to Colombia in his social media post.
Trump repeatedly misspelled Colombia as “Columbia” while calling Petro “an illegal drug leader” in his message.
Colombia received 740 million dollars in US aid during 2023, more than any other South American nation.
Half of American assistance to Colombia traditionally supported anti-drug trafficking efforts.
Petro responded angrily to Trump’s accusations through a series of posts on X platform.
“Colombia has never been rude to the United States. To the contrary, it has loved its culture very much. But you are rude and ignorant about Colombia,“ Petro wrote.
The bitter exchange marks the lowest point in US-Colombia relations in decades.
Washington recently decertified Colombia as a drug-fighting ally, prompting Bogotá to halt US arms purchases.
Petro’s administration has shifted drug policy from forced eradication to addressing social problems behind trafficking.
Coca cultivation has increased approximately 70% under Petro’s government according to Colombian and UN estimates. – AFP
