In a rapidly escalating diplomatic dispute, Colombian President Gustavo Petro has accused the United States of killing Colombian citizens in a recent military strike on a small boat off the coast of Venezuela, a claim the White House has vehemently denied. The controversy, unfolding over the past week, has exposed deepening rifts between Washington and Bogotá, raised alarms in Caracas, and drawn in international actors as the U.S. intensifies its campaign against alleged drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea.
The drama began on October 8, 2025, when President Petro declared on social media that "signs show that the last bombed boat was Colombian with Colombian citizens aboard." Petro, who was addressing the issue from Brussels, provided no evidence to support his assertion but called on families of potential victims to come forward. "I hope that their families come forward and report it," he wrote, amplifying anxieties in both Colombia and Venezuela about the fate of those on board.
The U.S. government responded swiftly and forcefully. On October 9, the White House dismissed Petro's allegation as "baseless and reprehensible," urging the Colombian leader to publicly retract his statement. A White House official, speaking to The Hill and CNN on condition of anonymity, said, "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 the United States and Colombia." The official emphasized that, despite policy differences, Colombia remains an "essential strategic partner," and that the U.S. is committed to close cooperation on regional security and stability.
The disputed strike, which took place in international waters off Venezuela the previous week, was the fourth such U.S. military action since early September. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the U.S. military had targeted a small boat accused of carrying drugs, killing four men on board. Details about the identities or nationalities of those killed were not provided. The Trump administration, which has led the campaign, maintains that all four boats destroyed in the region since September were involved in narcotrafficking, and insists that those killed were narco-traffickers.
This is not the first time President Petro has raised alarms about potential Colombian casualties. In late September, he suggested another U.S. strike on September 19 may have killed Colombian citizens as well. "If the boat was sunk in the Dominican Republic, then it is possible that they were Colombians. This means that officials from the U.S. and the Dominican Republic would be guilty of the murder of Colombian citizens," Petro stated.
U.S. officials have repeatedly rejected these claims. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a televised interview, asserted, "The Department of Defense doesn’t take this lightly. There are many boats running through that region, some of which you – we suspect may have drugs on them, and they don’t take shots at them because they need to know with 100% certainty." Rubio added that the U.S. is confident all those on board the targeted vessels were narco-traffickers.
The U.S. military campaign began on September 2, 2025, when a strike killed 11 people on a speedboat allegedly operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, a group designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. earlier this year. Subsequent strikes on September 15 and September 19 killed three people each, according to official statements. In total, the U.S. military says 21 people have died in these operations, all allegedly involved in narcotics trafficking.
President Trump has justified the strikes by declaring drug traffickers as "unlawful combatants" and asserting that military force is required to combat them. He told Congress that the U.S. is now "at war with drug cartels designated as terrorist organizations," providing legal cover for the aggressive campaign. Trump has also accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of facilitating drug smuggling, and the U.S. recently doubled the bounty for Maduro's arrest to $50 million.
Venezuelan officials, for their part, have condemned the U.S. actions as a pretext for regime change. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, speaking to military leaders on October 8, warned that "the irrationality with which the U.S. empire operates is not normal. It’s anti-political, anti-human, warmongering, rude and vulgar." Venezuelan President Maduro has denied his country's involvement in major drug trafficking and has reached out to Pope Leo XIV to help keep the peace, according to AP.
President Petro has also called the U.S. use of force "disproportionate" and described the resulting deaths as "murder," arguing that drug interdiction should be achieved through captures rather than killings. "If the goal is really to stop drug trafficking, the way to do it is to negotiate the dismantling of drug trafficking organizations," he said. Petro pointed to Colombia's recent negotiations with the Clan del Golfo cartel, held in Qatar in September, as a model for peaceful resolution. On October 9, he even proposed that Qatar serve as a mediator to end U.S. military actions in the Caribbean, citing Qatar’s proven track record in mediating tense international disputes. Qatar has not yet responded to the proposal.
The U.S. response to Petro’s mediation offer was measured but firm. The White House reiterated its commitment to close cooperation with Colombia on "a range of shared priorities, including regional security and stability," while maintaining its stance on the necessity and legality of the military strikes.
The debate has spilled over into U.S. domestic politics as well. Senate Democrats, led by Senators Adam Schiff and Tim Kaine, attempted to pass a measure to pause the strikes, but the vote failed narrowly, 48-51, on October 8. Critics argue that the strikes risk civilian casualties and could further destabilize the region, while supporters insist they are a necessary tool in the fight against international drug cartels.
As tensions simmer, both sides have dug in. President Petro has called for transparency, urging the U.S. to provide information about those killed in the strikes. "The White House should give us information on the people who have died from U.S. missiles, to know if my information is unfounded," Petro posted on X. The U.S. has not released any such details, maintaining that all those killed were legitimate targets.
With the U.S. military presence in the Caribbean showing no sign of waning, and diplomatic rhetoric intensifying, the episode has become a flashpoint in already complex regional relations. Whether Qatar or another neutral party can broker a de-escalation remains to be seen, but for now, the stakes—and the suspicions—could hardly be higher.