Colombian security forces killed five members of the country's largest drug cartel, including a regional kingpin, the government said Wednesday ahead of a meeting in Washington between presidents Gustavo Petro and Donald Trump.

The U.S. leader is set to host his leftist sparring rival Petro at the White House next Tuesday for talks on combatting drug trafficking from Colombia, the world's top cocaine producer.

Writing on X, Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said seven members of the Gulf Clan were "neutralized" during a joint operation by the police and air force in Magdalena department on the Caribbean Sea. A defense ministry official on Wednesday told AFP that five cartel members were killed and two captured.

Sanchez said the dead included Wilson Dario Ruiz Velez, who goes by the alias "Moises" or "07" and whom the minister said was "responsible for the violent expansion of the group in the Caribbean region." Last month, the Trump administration designated the Gulf Clan as a foreign terrorist organization, opening the door to potential military action against them.

The highly anticipated meeting between Mr. Trump and Petro follows a bitter war of words on social media, which culminated with Washington sanctioning Petro and his family for alleged narcotrafficking.

Petro, a former left-wing guerrilla, denies the allegations.

He has been fiercely critical of Mr. Trump's migrant deportations and Washington's campaign of deadly strikes on suspected Latin American drug boats.

In an exclusive conversation with CBS News in October, Petro said some of those killed in U.S. strikes off South America were innocent civilians, and he reiterated his accusation that the attacks violate international law.

The White House denies those accusations, and President Trump has defended the strikes as a legitimate part of his fight against drug trafficking gangs.

After the U.S. ouster of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, Mr. Trump warned Petro to "watch his ass" but the pair have since sought to dial down tensions and vowed to cooperate in the war on drugs.

Petro's government has held peace talks with the Gulf Clan in Qatar, as part of the president's bid to get all remaining armed groups in Colombia to disband.

The negotiations have yet to produce tangible results.

Last April, eight members of the Gulf Clan were killed in clashes with security forces.

Source