Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the U.S. of war crimes in an interview on Monday amid the recent strikes on vessels in the Caribbean that were allegedly carrying drugs.

Bogotá

The president of Colombia has accused the United States of war crimes after recent U.S. military strikes targeted suspected drug boats. This accusation comes amid ongoing concerns about the U.S. approach to counter-narcotics operations, particularly the escalation to military action without public evidence of drug trafficking.

National security experts note that while drugs like fentanyl pose a significant threat to the United States, there are alternative strategies available, such as increased intelligence sharing and border monitoring. The use of military force, especially in international waters, is seen as a major escalation that could heighten regional tensions.

Colombian president accuses U.S. of war crimes over strikes

There are new signs of diplomatic progress this morning after the president of Colombia accused the U.S. of war crimes last night. Now, that accusation followed the latest U.S. military strike on suspected drug boats. CBS News national security contributor Sam Finnegrad joins me now with some context in all of this. Sam, great to see you this morning. What message do you think the U.S. is trying to send with these strikes, considering no evidence of drug running has been shared publicly? And what are the risks of this type of mission? Well, Errol, to be very clear, drugs pose a serious national security threat and public health threat to the United States, especially fentanyl. Last year alone, Customs and Border Protection seized 22,000 kilograms of fentanyl at our land borders. It takes just two milligrams of fentanyl to cause an overdose in an average-sized adult. However, the Trump administration has chosen to make the counter-narcotics fight quite black and white. Going from where we are today to launching military strikes on suspected vessels carrying narcotics is a major escalation, when, in fact, there are other options available. When we think about counter-narcotics, and I worked on this extensively while at DHS, we think about the entire supply chain of illicit substance. If you look at just fentanyl alone, most of the precursors, the inputs to making fentanyl come from China. Most fentanyl is, in fact, manufactured in Mexico and then crosses our land border in private vehicles. So increasing intelligence sharing with Mexican authorities, increasing equipment at our southern border to try to monitor for fentanyl crossing in vehicles would be a more responsible step than blowing up boats in international waters, which really could run the risk of military escalation in the region.

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Moscow

Ukraine Invasion

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Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy began his five-year prison sentence in Paris on Tuesday (October 21) for conspiring to raise campaign funds from Libya, in a stunning downfall for a man who led the country between 2007 and 2012.

Paris

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Jerusalem

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Japan's parliament has elected the country's first female leader. Sanae Takaichi, 64, of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is seen as a hardline conservative who supports traditional gender roles and hawkish foreign policy.

Tokyo

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Portland

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La Paz

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Kowloon

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Tel Aviv-Yafo

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Chicago

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China's second-highest ranking general and eight other senior officials have been expelled from the ruling Communist Party and the military on suspicion of serious misconduct linked to corruption.

Beijing

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Doha

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Britain's Prince Andrew said on Friday he would give up using his title of Duke of York following years of criticism about his behavior and connections to the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Windsor

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy came to the White House on Friday looking for weapons to keep fighting his country's war with Russia, but met an American president who appears more intent on brokering a peace deal than upgrading Kyiv’s arsenal.

Breakdown