AhlulBayt News Agency: Colombia has declared it will stop purchasing military equipment from the United States after Washington revoked certification of Bogotá’s anti-narcotics efforts.
Interior Minister Armando Benedetti stated on Tuesday that Colombia would no longer buy weapons from the U.S.
President Gustavo Petro stressed that Colombia must end its reliance on foreign aid and external support.
This decision followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s accusation that Petro had not only failed to reduce cocaine production but had presided over its historic rise.
Trump announced that Colombia would be officially labeled as having failed to meet its drug control responsibilities.
These comments contradict Petro’s new strategy to address the drug crisis, which focuses on the social roots of the issue.
Reports indicate that Petro’s social initiatives have helped thousands of farmers transition from coca cultivation to crops like cacao, coffee, and other sustainable options.
Despite U.S. criticism, Colombia has continued to conduct operations that have dismantled cocaine labs in remote regions.
Security forces have also improved through intelligence-sharing and modernization, responding to threats from guerrilla factions and criminal groups.
Petro has argued that the increase in coca cultivation is driven by global demand, especially in Europe, and has urged a reassessment of international drug policies.
He also pointed to the rise in fentanyl use among American drug users as a complicating factor, noting that traffickers mix fentanyl with various narcotics.
Trump’s criticism comes at a time when Colombia is facing serious internal challenges.
On August 21, twelve police officers were killed when ex-FARC rebels shot down a helicopter during an anti-coca mission in the northwest.
The controversy also coincides with Colombia’s growing condemnation of Israeli actions against Palestinians, particularly in the ongoing war in Gaza since October 2023.
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