[Global Times reporter Li Xundian Global Times correspondent in Brazil Shi Yuanhao] "A new front has been opened: the Caribbean." On the 8th, Colombian President Petro publicly accused the U.S. government of launching an "oil war" on the grounds of drug control, saying that with the strengthening of military operations by the U.S. military in the Caribbean, a "war situation" has emerged in the region, resulting in innocent killings of Colombian citizens. In the face of the White House's request to withdraw the above remarks, Petro, who is attending the "Global Gateway" forum in Brussels, said that he would convey his concern about the escalating military operations of the US government in the Caribbean waters to a number of European heads of state. Colombian media said that at present, the military forces of the United States and Venezuela are confronting each other across the sea, and the regional situation is unprecedentedly tense. According to The New York Times, the US Senate rejected a proposal on the 8th aimed at preventing President Trump from using military force against ships in the Caribbean. On the same day, Venezuela conducted military exercises in the coastal areas of the Caribbean. According to informed sources, Trump has ordered the suspension of all diplomatic contacts with the Venezuelan government. Spain's El Pais commented that there is no dialogue channel between the United States and Venezuela, and the two sides are on the verge of escalating military confrontation. According to the website of Newsweek, the Trump administration's escalating military actions in the Caribbean have aroused strong condemnation from all parties. "This conflict not only raises questions about the legality of the United States' crackdown on so-called drug trafficking, but also tests the diplomatic relations between the United States and Latin American countries".

President Colombia's criticism "goes straight to the White House"

Colombian President Petro condemned on social media on the 8th the US military's attack on a ship carrying Colombia citizens near the Caribbean waters and called on the families of the victims to speak out. "This is not a war on smuggling, but a war for oil that the world must stop, and this aggression is directed across Latin America and the Caribbean," Petro said. The White House asked Petro to withdraw the above remarks on the evening of the 8th, but Petro immediately asked the United States to release "information on the killed people" to verify the authenticity of the news.

According to the Associated Press, U.S. Defense Secretary Hegerseth announced on social media on Monday that the U.S. military bombed a ¡°drug ship¡± in the waters near Venezuela that day, killing four people. The New York Times said it was the fourth known attack by the U.S. military on so-called Venezuela¡¯s drug trafficking vessels.

The Associated Press listed three previous "strikes" by the U.S. military in the Caribbean waters: the first action took place on September 2nd, when the U.S. government claimed to have hit a high-speed boat carrying drugs, killing 11 people; On September 15th, the U.S. government once again announced a crackdown on a drug ship departing from Venezuela, killing three people on board; On September 19th, Trump said that the U.S. military attacked another "drug trafficking ship associated with a terrorist organization", killing three people.

The Colombian Observer commented on the 9th that Petro had been critical since the U.S. military began attacking ships near the Caribbean waters in early September, and that he also recently expressed his protest in a speech at the United Nations General Assembly against the claim that the U.S. launched missiles in the Caribbean was for the purpose of fighting drug trafficking, which was a lie, and that only poor young people in Latin America were hit.¡±

US Congressman: People Don¡¯t Want to Get Involved in War Again

The U.S. Senate voted against a proposal to restrict Trump¡¯s use of armed forces against alleged drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean. The New York Times that the proposal was led by Democratic Senators Adam Sheff and Tim Cain. The proposal cited a provision in the 1973 War Power Act, which said U.S. military action in the Caribbean had to be approved by Congress. Several Democratic MPs wrote to Trump on the 7th: ¡°The American people are unwilling to engage in another war, and Congress cannot allow the president to launch a war illegally or unilaterally.¡±

According to people familiar with the matter, Trump has suspended all diplomatic contacts with Venezuela. Spain's newspaper El Pais said that Trump recently asked his adviser Grenel to stop contacts with senior Venezuelan government officials, including Maduro, which shows that "there are no longer any channels for dialogue" between the two countries.

The interruption of diplomatic contacts appears to have released signals that the U.S. plans to escalate military action. Grenell has tried to help the U.S. Commission reach an agreement that avoids a larger conflict and allows U.S. companies to gain access to U.S. oil resources. But sources told the New York Times that U.S. Secretary Rubio and his allies thought Grenell's efforts were appropriate and instead caused chaos.

According to the Colombian Times, Trump himself has said that the United States is in an "armed conflict" with the drug trafficking group, and in the "second phase" of the drug program, it is not excluded to expand the scope of the attack from the Caribbean waters to "land".

Government Response to Military Deterrence

A senior U.S. military official told the media on the 8th that the Pentagon¡¯s deployment in the waters near Venezuela increased from 4,500 to 10,000, most of whom are stationed at U.S. military bases in Puerto Rico. In addition, eight warships and one submarine were deployed in the region. Several Latin media analysts said the possibility of an escalation in U.S. military confrontation was significantly increased, and the Latin American region was on the eve of a ¡°storm¡±.

In the face of the increasing military deterrence of the United States, the Commission announced on the 8th that it will launch a "Independent Plan 200" military exercise in two coastal regions in the north, with all defense, resistance and continuing offensive programs in the exercise area fully activated.

President Maduro said on the 8th that if the United States launches a military attack on Venezuela, "we will definitely fight back". Maduro also said: "Does anyone really think that they are the 'emperor of the world' and try to rule the world? The president's duty is to govern his own country, not other countries."

On the same day, 62 non-governmental organizations jointly wrote to the U.S. Congress to stop the Trump administration¡¯s military escalation in the Caribbean, and expressed concern over U.S. ¡°multiple extrajudicial executions of unidentified civilians,¡± saying the U.S. government had neither provided a ¡°legitimate basis¡± for carrying out attacks nor demonstrated that victims posed a threat to U.S. national security.