Colombia Suspends Intelligence Sharing with US Amid Trump’s Caribbean Strikes:

Colombian President Gustavo Petro has ordered an immediate suspension of all intelligence sharing and cooperation with United States security agencies, following a series of US missile attacks on boats in the Caribbean Sea. The strikes, launched under President Donald Trump’s administration, have reportedly killed at least 75 people, including civilians from several Latin American nations. Petro made the announcement on Tuesday through his official X (formerly Twitter) account, declaring that the halt will remain in effect “as long as the missile attacks on boats continue.” According to the Colombian leader, the suspension applies across all levels of the country’s intelligence and public security forces. The Colombian president also shared unconfirmed reports suggesting that the United Kingdom had taken similar action, suspending cooperation with US agencies over legal and humanitarian concerns related to the ongoing attacks. Petro Condemns Strikes, Calls for War Crimes Investigation Petro condemned the US operations as “indiscriminate and unlawful,” urging the International Criminal Court to open an investigation into what he described as potential war crimes by the Trump administration. Washington insists the strikes are targeting drug-trafficking boats, but several of the vessels reportedly carried fishermen and traders from Venezuela, Ecuador, Colombia, and Trinidad and Tobago. On Sunday, during a Latin America–EU summit in Bogotá, Petro met with the family of a Colombian fisherman allegedly killed in one of the attacks. “He may have been carrying fish, or he may have been carrying cocaine, but he had not been sentenced to death,” Petro said. “There was no need to murder him.” The president criticized the US approach to the “war on drugs,” arguing that it continues to punish poor farmers and small-scale workers while sparing the financial networks that profit most from the trade. “This is not justice—it’s a cycle of violence that benefits no one,” he said. Rising Diplomatic Tensions Between Bogotá and Washington This is not the first time tensions have flared between Petro and Trump. In September, Washington revoked Petro’s US visa, citing “reckless and incendiary actions” after the Colombian leader spoke at a pro-Palestinian rally outside the United Nations headquarters in New York. Petro had urged American soldiers to “disobey Trump’s orders” if they violated international law, saying, “Obey the orders of humanity.” Following the visa revocation, Petro accused the United States of abandoning respect for international law and said his stance against “genocide and imperialism” would not change. More recently, the US Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on Petro, his family, and Colombia’s Interior Minister Armando Benedetti, accusing them of failing to curb cocaine production and of protecting criminal groups from prosecution. Petro has dismissed the sanctions as “politically motivated.” US Military Presence in the Caribbean Sparks Concern Adding to regional unease, the Pentagon confirmed the arrival of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group in the Caribbean Sea, comprising more than 4,000 sailors and several tactical aircraft. The deployment has fueled speculation that the Trump administration is preparing to escalate military operations, potentially targeting the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro—a longtime US adversary. Petro’s latest move marks a significant shift in Colombia-US relations, signaling growing Latin American resistance to Washington’s military and drug policy strategies. As the crisis deepens, regional leaders are calling for dialogue, not bombs, to restore peace and stability in the Caribbean.

NEWS