The Secretary of Defense of the United States, Pete Hegseth, stated this Wednesday that the government of Abelardo de la Espriella has asked Washington to participate in joint military operations in Colombia against "narcoterrorism."
"Through the newly inaugurated president (...) Colombia has already requested that the Department of War --as the Trump Administration refers to Defense-- join the country in its fight against narcoterrorism, authorizing joint military operations to eliminate terrorists and terrorist networks," he indicated from Panama, during an event of the military coalition promoted by the United States against the cartels.
So far, Colombian authorities have not offered an official stance on this announcement. Who has reacted is former president Gustavo Petro, who in a message on social media emphasized that, despite not opposing international cooperation in the global fight against drug trafficking and other forms of transnational crime, this does not imply a "permit for foreigners" to take the lives of Colombian citizens.
"Colombia knows more about the fight against drug trafficking than the United States, which is why I do not refuse to collaborate in the global fight against the narco and other forms of international crime that cannot be overcome except in common with many countries in the world, but that does not mean permission for foreigners to come and kill Colombians," Petro stressed, insisting that "who authorizes is not the president, according to the Constitution" but "the Senate of the Republic and, failing that, the Council of State."
During his visit to Panama, the head of the Pentagon also announced that Colombia will become part of this regional alliance, known as Shield of the Americas, becoming the 19th member state.
In his speech, Hegseth took the opportunity to attack "international leftism" and urged his Latin American partners to abandon the Rome Statute and, therefore, the International Criminal Court (ICC).
"International leftism, along with its affiliated media, seeks to illegally impose the jurisdiction of the ICC over the personnel and military operations of the United States and its partners. It is striking that this supposed court and other globalist organizations weaken our efforts, while they do not demand accountability from the real terrorists and tyrants," he stated.
In the forum, the U.S. senator Bernie Moreno, the commander of the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), General Francis L. Donovan, and the Panamanian president, José Raúl Mulino, who held a prior meeting with Hegseth, also intervened.