Colombia's Petro says bombings on Ecuador border left 27 charred bodies


Colombian President Gustavo Petro addresses the Organization of American States (OAS) in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 4, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

March 17 (Reuters) - Colombia's ⁠President Gustavo Petro said on Tuesday that ⁠bombings which took place on the border with ‌Ecuador have left 27 charred bodies, as his Ecuadorean counterpart, Daniel Noboa, said his country was carrying out bombings in ​its own territory against drug ⁠traffickers.

"I didn't give that ⁠order," Petro said on X, adding the bombings ⁠were not ‌carried out by Colombian security forces.

"President Petro, your declarations are false, we are ⁠acting in our territory, not yours," Noboa ​posted on ‌X earlier on Tuesday, after Petro suggested in ⁠comments on ​Monday night that Ecuador had deployed the bombs in Colombian territory.

Noboa said the bombed locations served as ⁠hideouts for groups linked to ​narco-terrorism, most of them Colombians. "We will continue to clean up and rebuild Ecuador," he added.

His government launched operations ⁠on Sunday night against criminal gangs nationwide, but has not reported on the progress of military operations at the border.

Ecuador has stated that its ​anti-drug trafficking operations are being ⁠carried out with the support of allied countries, including ​the United States.

The Ecuadorean government ‌did not immediately respond to ​a request for comment regarding the charred bodies.

(Reporting by Aida Pelaez-Fernandez and Alexandra Valencia;)

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