The Colombian president has announced that Bogota will buy Swedish Gripen fighter jets worth $4.3 billion, pointing out that his country could be attacked "from anywhere" amid tensions with Washington, Agence France-Presse reported, BTA reported.
The contract, which is the subject of an agreement in principle reached in April with SAAB, is for 17 aircraft, President Gustavo Petro said, speaking from a military base.
According to him, these fighter jets will serve to prevent "loss of life (in Colombia) and attacks against Colombia, wherever they come from".
„In "In this chaotic geopolitical world, (these attacks) can come from anywhere," Petro warned. The United States and France have offered fighter jets to Bogota, but Petro has rejected both offers.
Colombia is concerned about the large-scale deployment of US military forces in the Caribbean Sea, where Washington has been carrying out air strikes since September against boats it claims, without evidence, are used for drug trafficking.
US forces have destroyed 21 vessels in 20 attacks in international waters, killing at least 80 people. The operations have also increased tensions with Venezuela. US President Donald Trump, for his part, has accused his Colombian counterpart of being a "drug lord" who is doing nothing to curb cocaine production in his country and has imposed economic sanctions on him.
The US leader has also removed Bogota from Washington's list of allies in the fight against drug trafficking, also cutting financial aid to Colombia.