(MENAFN) Colombian President Gustavo Petro has accused the United States of killing an innocent man during a military operation that President Donald Trump referred to as a strike on a vessel involved in drug trafficking.

Petro alleged that the victim, a Colombian "lifelong fisherman," lost his life during the incident on September 16, which he claimed occurred within Colombia’s territorial waters.

As part of a broader initiative launched by Trump to eliminate what he described as “narcoterrorists” involved in the trade of cocaine and fentanyl, the US military has reportedly destroyed multiple vessels in the Caribbean since September.

However, Petro insists that the man killed, Alejandro Carranza, had no affiliation with any criminal organization, stating that his sole livelihood was fishing.

“US government officials have committed murder and violated our sovereignty in our territorial waters. Fisherman Alejandro Carranza had no ties to drug traffickers and his daily activity was fishing,” Petro posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Saturday.

He further stated that the vessel Carranza was aboard had suffered engine failure and had sent out a distress call prior to the incident. “We are waiting for an explanation from the US government,” he added.

President Petro has had an ongoing rivalry with Trump, previously accusing him of infringing on human rights during his aggressive policies targeting undocumented immigrants.

In a related diplomatic development, the US recently revoked Petro’s visa after he publicly urged American troops to ignore Trump’s directives.

In a statement made on Saturday, Trump claimed that one Colombian and one Ecuadorian national had been captured from a “drug-carrying submarine.”

He announced that the individuals would be returned to their respective countries “for detention and prosecution.” He also stated that the US military destroyed the submarine, resulting in the deaths of two of the four “known narcoterrorists” on board.

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