(MENAFN) Colombian President Gustavo Petro declared Friday that his nation should pursue a United Nations proposal to halt US airstrikes targeting suspected drug trafficking vessels in Caribbean waters.

In a post on US social media platform X, Petro challenged the operation's legality and raised questions about regional sentiment toward the military action.

"Colombia must submit a proposal to the United Nations calling for an end to the aggression against the Caribbean," he wrote.

Pointing to the operation's "illegal" nature, Petro questioned what Caribbean governments and their people think in a post on US social media platform X.

Since September, US forces have conducted at least 14 strikes, predominantly across the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, resulting in more than 61 deaths according to available reports.

Human rights organizations and international legal scholars have increasingly challenged the strikes' legitimacy, contending that US attacks on alleged narcotics vessels breach established international law frameworks.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk condemned the military operations as "unacceptable" and demanded an independent investigation into what his office described as extrajudicial killings.

The mounting death toll and legal controversies have intensified diplomatic pressure on Washington to justify its unilateral enforcement actions in international waters claimed by multiple sovereign nations.

Petro's call for UN intervention marks a significant escalation in Latin American pushback against US counter-narcotics tactics that critics argue prioritize military force over international legal norms and regional sovereignty.

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