On August 12, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced the initiation of US-Colombian military actions against armed groups such as the National Liberation Army (ELN) in Colombia.
Hegseth said the joint actions have been requested and authorized by the newly inaugurated president of Colombia, Abelardo de la Espriella, in order to combat “narco-terrorism.”
Several alleged members of armed guerrilla groups have been killed by the Colombian state since the start of Espriella’s offensive this month.
In response to the offensive, the ELN released a video on August 16, in which they vowed to continue armed struggle, concluding with the slogan “Not a step back, liberation or death!” The ELN has rejected the allegations that they produce or traffic drugs, saying instead that they tax drug traffickers.
Colombia has historically been a reliable lackey of US imperialism in Latin America. It hosts seven US military bases and is the top recipient of US “aid” in the Western Hemisphere.
In mid-August, 23 US soldiers, 82 Israeli soldiers, and 32 Ecuadorian soldiers deployed to Colombia after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake in Colombia’s Chocó department killed over 300 people and left 240 missing. A similar deployment occurred in Venezuela two months prior, where US and Zionist troops arrived as part of the occupation of the country under the guise of providing aid.
Following the inauguration of Espriella on August 7, the US sent a $1 billion “security package” to Colombia. The Colombian government joined the US-led “Shield of the Americas,” a coalition formed following the war of aggression against Venezuela to allegedly combat “narco-terrorism” across Latin America.
Days before the formation of the coalition, the US and Ecuador carried out an attack against a “narco-terrorist supply complex” in March. According to an investigation by The New York Times, the target was a dairy farm with no evidence of connection to drug production or smuggling. US and Ecuadorian forces abducted and tortured peasants for days before releasing them and telling them to go to Colombia.
Under Espriella’s predecessor, the opportunist Gustavo Petro, Colombia joined China’s Belt and Road Initiative, a trade network aimed at strengthening the domination of Chinese social-imperialism.
On August 5, two days before Espriella’s inauguration, the designated US Ambassador to Colombia Nate Morris declared that Colombia would withdraw from the initiative.
Trump had previously threatened to invade Colombia, alleging the Petro government was involved in drug trafficking shortly after the US invasion of Venezuela. Days later, after a phone call between the two presidents, Trump backed down from his threats and described the call as a “great honor.” Petro afterwards told a rally of supporters that during the call he had asked to restart dialogue with the US.
Image: Secretary of War Pete Hegseth speaks in Panama City, Panama, on August 12, 2026. Credit: U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Crystal Burgess.
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