Petro claims Colombians killed in U.S. strike off Venezuela as tensions rise in Caribbean

Petro alleges Colombians killed offshore

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Wednesday there were “signs” that Colombian citizens were among those killed in the most recent U.S. military strike on a small boat off Venezuela’s coast.

“A new front in the war has opened: the Caribbean,” Petro wrote on X. “Signs show that the last bombed boat was Colombian with Colombian citizens aboard.”

El senador Adam Shiff está en lo correcto.Ahora me encuentro en una reunión con los gobiernos Europeos y diré lo mismo.Se ha abierto un nuevo escenario de guerra: el Caribe.Indicios muestran que la última lancha bombardeada era colombiana con ciudadanos colombianos en su… https://t.co/CozMUBklxE— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 8, 2025

He did not elaborate on the evidence behind his claim, adding, “I hope that their families come forward and report it.” Neither Petro’s office nor Colombia’s Defence Ministry immediately responded to requests for further comment.

The U.S. government has not disclosed the identities of those aboard the targeted vessel, nor the three other boats previously attacked.

Last Friday, U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the strike on a small boat allegedly carrying drugs near Venezuela, saying four men were killed but offering no details about their identities or affiliations.

The first military strike took place on 2 September, when U.S. forces destroyed a speedboat the Trump administration said was operated by the Tren de Aragua gang, killing 11. The gang, which originated in Venezuelan prisons, was designated a foreign terrorist organisation earlier this year.

Trump later announced two more strikes — one on 15 September that killed three, and another on 19 September targeting a vessel “affiliated with a Designated Terrorist Organization conducting narcotrafficking in the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility,” which also killed three.

Trump has told U.S. lawmakers he considers drug traffickers “unlawful combatants” and that military force is necessary to counter them.

Earlier on Wednesday, Venezuelan Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino said Washington’s drug-trafficking claims were “false” and aimed at “forcing a regime change” in Venezuela. He warned citizens of potential escalation, saying during a televised address, “I want to warn the population: We have to prepare ourselves because the irrationality with which the U.S. empire operates is not normal. It’s anti-political, anti-human, warmongering, rude and vulgar.”