Cooperation Freeze: What It Means & How to Respond

Neither the British nor the Colombians want to be complicit in the Trump administration‘s attack on “drug boats“. Now they must have taken action.

76 killed in 19 attacks.

That is the preliminary result after the Trump administration began targeted attacks against alleged “drug boats” in international waters of the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean at the beginning of September.

Now the attacks in Trump’s fight against “narco-terrorism” have had consequences for the United States, reports CNN.

– Fears complicity

For many years, Britain has shared intelligence information with the United States from its many territories in the Caribbean. Such intelligence precisely includes the location of boats suspected of smuggling drugs.

Through its sources, British intelligence has, among other things, made sure to notify the military and multidisciplinary group Joint Interagency Task Force South, which is based in Key West, Florida, reports CNN.

The group’s main task is to find, monitor and facilitate the interception of such traffic, precisely to reduce the flow of drugs and fight transnational criminal organisations.

The Trump administration is planning missions in Mexico

The group coordinates the efforts of US and international partner organizations, including other military agencies, intelligence agencies and international partners, it says on its own website.

Suspect boats have been boarded, the crew arrested and the drugs – if the information is correct – seized. But the smugglers have had guarantees of legal certainty through this arrangement, the sources point out.

Will not cooperate

After Trump has now adopted completely different methods, Britain will no longer share this intelligence information with the US authorities, sources with knowledge of the matter claim to CNN.

According to the sources, it is because Britain believes that the attacks in the Caribbean and the Pacific violate international law. They fear that information provided by British intelligence could be used to select targets, and do not want to risk making themselves complicit in the Trump administration’s attacks.

According to CNN, Britain’s intelligence freeze already began over a month ago.

Attacking alleged drug boats: – Not allowed

On the night of Wednesday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro announced that they, too, would stop sharing intelligence with the United States.

– The fight against drugs must be subordinated to the Caribbean’s human rights, writes Petro on X.

Colombia has been one of the US’s closest allies in South America in the fight against drug trafficking. Petro warns that intelligence sharing with the US will not resume until the US stops attacks on boats in the Caribbean.

Neither the White House nor the British or the embassy in Washington have commented on the matter.

Threatens military attack

Executions

President Donald Trump has said the raids are necessary to stop drug imports into the United States. They have nevertheless given little specific information about the boats that are attacked. The claims that the boats are transporting drugs have not been documented either.

According to CNN, a recent closed briefing in Congress revealed that the United States does not necessarily know the identity of those being attacked, and is avoiding arrests because the evidence would not hold up in court.

It is also unclear what kind of legal basis the US has for attacking boats in international waters.

The UN human rights chief Volker Türk has also repeatedly asked the US to stop the attacks. He believes there are strong indications that the attacks are extrajudicial executions and calls on the authorities in Washington to investigate the legality of the attacks.

– I have urged that the American administration carry out investigations first and foremost, because they have to ask themselves the question: Is this a violation of international humanitarian law? Are there extrajudicial executions? I mean, there are strong indications that it is, but they have to investigate this, says Turk to AFP.

In mid-October, as many as 14 were killed in a coordinated attack on four boats off the coast of Colombia. According to Defense Minister Pete Hegseth, it was then American intelligence that identified the boats.

– A false case

Shortly before, Colombian President Gustavo Petro accused the United States of killing a fisherman in an attack on an alleged smuggling boat. He also believed that the United States has been guilty of extrajudicial executions. That led to the Trump administration imposing sanctions on Petro and his family, as well as Colombia’s interior minister.