Trump Broadens Drug War rhetoric,Threatening Colombia Alongside venezuela
US Presidentโฃ Donald Trumpโ is expanding his aggressive stance against drug smuggling,nowโค directly targeting Colombia along withโ Venezuela. Colombian President Gustavo Petro has strongly condemned โthe threats to hisโ countryS sovereignty.
Trump stated after a cabinet meeting that reports of โcocaine production in Colombian factories destined for โthe US could lead to militaryโฃ action.”Anyone who โขdoes this and sells it into our country will face attack,” he said, clarifying the threat wasn’tโ limited to Venezuela. This prompted sharp criticism from Colombian leadership.
Forโค weeks, the Trump administration has escalated pressureโค on Venezuela, deploying additional troops and warships to โฃtheโข caribbean andโฃ authorizingโ covert CIA operations purportedly aimed โขat disrupting drug trafficking. These operations have reportedly resulted in over 80 deaths in attacks on suspected smuggling vessels.
The US actions are facing criticism as potential violations of international law, thoughโ the Trump โadministration defends them as a legitimate fight against “drug terrorists.”โข Some observers suggest ulterior motives, including a potential forced regime change inโฃ Venezuelaโ and accessโฃ to the nation’sโ oil reserves.
Tensions further escalated after President Petro claimed a Colombian fisherman was killed by US military forces โduring the operation, leading him to suspend intelligence sharing with the United States. Petro warned Trump against threatening Colombia’s sovereignty, stating onโ X (formerly Twitter), “Attacks onโ ourโฃ sovereignty are a โdeclaration of war.” he invited Trump to โvisit Colombia โขtoโ witness the country’s ongoing efforts toโ destroy drugโฃ labs.
Relations between Bogotรก and Washington are โขincreasingly strained, with the US accusingโ Petro of insufficient action โagainst drug cartels and imposing sanctions on the Colombian leader.
(Source: dpa/fro)
