Petro Urges Probe into Bodies Linked to US Maritime Strikes

(MENAFN) Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Sunday urged authorities to launch inquiries after multiple corpses washed onto the shore, suggesting they could be casualties of U.S. military assaults on suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

Petro posted images and video clips on the platform owned by the U.S. social media firm X, displaying the remains found in La Guajira — a northern Colombian department bordering Venezuela and situated close to the Caribbean Sea — an area where the United States has executed attacks as part of its anti-narcotics strategy.

“Bodies found in the far north of La Guajira. We await identification by forensic medicine,” Petro stated.

He explained that the bodies were observed adrift off the coast of La Guajira and called on forensic experts to determine who they are, while also requesting collaboration with Venezuela’s prosecutor’s office.

“They may be deaths from bombing in the sea,” Petro added.

The United States has conducted no fewer than 22 strikes in the vicinity against vessels believed to be carrying illicit substances since September, resulting in at least 87 fatalities.

In recent months, it has broadened its military footprint throughout Latin America, deploying Marines, naval ships, fighter aircraft, bombers, submarines, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

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