Trump-Petro Heat On US Military Collides Colombian Civilian Ship To Death Of 4 People

US military ships (left) and the Philippines (right) joint security patrols in the South China Sea on July 31, 2024. (Wikipedia Commons)

JAKARTA - The United States (US) has denied allegations that its military attacked a Colombian-flagged ship killing civilians in the Caribbean Sea.

"baseless," read a statement by the US White House, Thursday local time, quoted by ABC News.

The White House said Colombia was a regional collaborator so it was impossible for the US to attack.

"[Colombia] important strategic partners," the statement said.

A US source familiar with the details confirmed to ABC News that at least one ship hit by a military in the Caribbean Sea is believed to be from Colombia.

The White House's rebuttal came after Colombian President Gustavo Petro said Wednesday that a ship recently hit by the US military in the Caribbean Sea belonged to and was a Colombian national. He said some of his citizens were killed in the incident.

The US allegation of killing Colombian citizens is likely to spark criticism of US President Donald Trump who is considered to open up wider regional war opportunities by launching a series of deadly attacks in the Caribbean Sea without stating who is the real target.

Trump has only blamed Venezuelan President Nicolxis Maduro for the ship's collision in the Caribbean Sea, citing many drug smuggling cases into the US that should have been followed up with the resignation of the head of state.

So far Trump has also informed the Senate that the US is now in an "armed conflict" with drug cartels.

Earlier, in a recent incident on October 3, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he had ordered the US military to attack a drug carrier in international waters off the coast of Venezuela that killed four people.

Hegseth and Trump then both uploaded videos of an attack showing a ship being engulfed in flames, but did not provide additional details about who was on the ship, the type of drugs they were carrying, where exactly they would go, or their nationality.

"Indications show that the last ship that was bombed belongs to Colombia with Colombian nationals on board. I hope their families report," Colombian President Gustavo Petro wrote on social media X.

"There is no war against smuggling; what exists is a war for oil and it must be stopped by the world," he continued.

Senators California and Virginia of the Democratic Party, Adam Schiff and Tim Kaine plan to hold a vote as part of a resolution to prevent and implement it illegally if the US military conducts attacks on civilian ships in the future.

"The congress has not authorized these attacks. These attacks are illegal and risk dragging America into another war," Schiff said in a statement.

However, efforts to advance the resolution in the Senate failed late Wednesday as the senator's vote only garnered 48-51 votes away from maximum votes for the resolution process to resume.

Prior to the US Senate meeting, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Republican Senate members held a joint lunch on Capitol Hill on Wednesday afternoon. Rubio tried to convince Republicans in the US Senate not to join the Democratic Party in an effort to curb President Trump's power, especially in the Caribbean Sea.

After the meeting, Rubio told reporters that the president had the authority to use military force against drug cartels without the approval of the US Senate.

"These drug trafficking organizations pose a direct threat to the safety and security of the United States to promote violence and crime on our roads, driven by the drugs and profits they generate," Rubio told reporters on the Capitol.

"And the president is the supreme commander, has an obligation to maintain the security of our country," he continued.