President Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro traded angry threats Wednesday (October 22, 2025) as the United States announced its first strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat in the Pacific Ocean, killing two people.
Mr. Trump branded Mr. Petro a "thug" and suggested he was a drug trafficker leading his country to ruin, prompting the leftist leader to vow: "I will defend myself legally with American lawyers."
Mr. Trump said vital military aid to Colombia had been cut and warned Mr. Petro to "watch it," hours after Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth posted a video of a boat engulfed in flames.
"There were two narco-terrorists aboard the vessel... Both terrorists were killed and no US forces were harmed," Mr. Hegseth said on X, adding: "Just as Al-Qaeda waged war on our homeland, these cartels are waging war on our border."
Tuesday's (October 21, 2025) strike, apparently carried out in international waters, brings the total number of such U.S. attacks to at least eight, with 34 people dead, according to U.S. figures.
