Colombia suspends intelligence sharing with Washington

BOGOTA, Nov. 12 (YPA) – Colombian President Gustavo Petro suspended intelligence sharing with the United States on Tuesday in response to Washington’s bombing of boats in the Caribbean and Pacific Oceans allegedly transporting drugs.

“All intelligence services of the Public Security Forces have been ordered to suspend communications and other dealings with U.S. security agencies,” Petro said at the X platform.

He indicated that the suspension would remain in effect as long as the missile attacks on the boats continued.

The Colombian president, who has previously described the U.S. strikes as “murder,” said, “The fight against drugs must be subject to the human rights of the people of the Caribbean.”

He shared a CNN report stating that the United Kingdom had suspended some intelligence sharing with the United States regarding vessels suspected of drug trafficking because of the strikes.

In this context, Elizabeth Dickinson, senior Colombia analyst at the International Crisis Group, confirmed that Colombia provided approximately 80% of the intelligence used by the United States to seize drugs in the Caribbean.

Dickinson said, “If the exchange of intelligence-gathering stops completely , the United States will lose a significant portion of its ability to detect security threats and that will be a major strategic loss for Washington.”

She noted that the United States has invested heavily in building and professionalizing intelligence gathering to combat common threats from organized crime.”