By Yasin Gungor
ISTANBUL (AA) - Colombia urged the US on Thursday to cease attacks on vessels in the Pacific Ocean and respect international legal norms, following several deadly strikes on boats Washington said were linked to drug trafficking.
The Foreign Ministry urged the US to engage through diplomatic channels to clarify situations and adopt strategies to jointly continue combating drugs in the region.
The statement came after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that American forces carried out a strike on a vessel allegedly engaged in narco-trafficking in the Eastern Pacific.
US intelligence indicated that the vessel was transiting along a "known narco-trafficking route" and was carrying narcotics, he said.
The attack marks the latest US strike on suspected drug-trafficking boats as part of the Trump administration’s campaign against “narco-terrorism.”
US President Donald Trump threatened to take “very serious action” against Colombia, which he accused of manufacturing illegal drugs that are brought into the US.