At least one of the recent U.S. military strikes on drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean targeted Colombian nationals, according to Pentagon briefings obtained by CNN.
The U.S. military has carried out at least five strikes on suspected drug boats in the region over the past two months. Officials said the third strike on Sept. 19 targeted a vessel that had departed from Colombia.
The individuals on board were suspected of ties to Colombian terrorist organizations, but the Pentagon allegedly did not confirm their identities before launching the attack, according to the report.
President Donald Trump announced the strike on Truth Social, saying three "narcoterrorists" were killed.
His administration has reportedly produced a classified legal opinion granting authority to treat certain suspected traffickers as enemy combatants, allowing for lethal strikes without judicial review.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro responded on X, calling the deaths "murder of Colombian citizens" if confirmed.
The White House pushed back, calling Petro's claims "baseless and reprehensible," and said the strikes targeted "designated narcoterrorists bringing deadly poison to our shores."
Petro also alleged a fourth U.S. strike might have involved Colombians, though U.S. officials denied that.
Petro proposed last Thursday that Qatar serve as "mediator" for the U.S. to end its military deployment in international waters off the coast of Venezuela.
Qatar is a proven mediator in tense situations, according to Petro, and would probably be successful in getting the United States to "cease the aggression with missiles" in the Caribbean Sea.
Qatar's government did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment on the proposal.
The U.S. disputed Petro's comments about Colombians being aboard the boat and wants him to publicly retract them, according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has said repeatedly that his country is not a major drug trafficking player.
The Venezuelan leader did his own outreach, sending a letter to Pope Leo XIV asking him to help keep the peace in his country.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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