Colombia's President Warns 'I Will Take Up Arms Once More' should United States Invades.

President Trump and his Colombian counterpart have escalated the tone of their exchange, further raising strains in their relations after US forces attacked Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from office.

"He runs cocaine mills and processing labs and his time is running out," Trump remarked.

Escalating Threats and Allegations

Addressing the press over the weekend, the American leader suggested comparable armed intervention against Bogotá, asserting the nation is “very sick too” and led by a sick man who likes making the drug and distributing it to the United States."

Although Colombia stands as the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way involved in the illicit industry.

A Strained Relationship

This nation has long been a close partner of the US in the fight against narcotics trade and enjoyed bipartisan support from American politicians, yet ties have deteriorated markedly after Trump came to office.

Colombia’s drug trade is largely controlled by guerrilla factions including the Golf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters demobilised after a historic peace agreement.

Petro's Defiant Rebuttal

In response to a query if a military operation similar to Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump replied: "It sounds good to me personally."

The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who demobilised in the last century, rejected Trump's claims. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he declared.

"Trump speaks without knowledge. Cease defaming me," he posted online.

"Should American forces attack civilians, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And should they arrest the nation's leader, which a large part of the country loves and respects, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the people," he admonished.

From Guerrilla to President

He passed some years as a young man as a member in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement but is not believed that he never engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he took part in creating the nation's constitution in the early 90s and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of Bogotá before being elected president.

"I pledged to abstain from using a gun ... but for the homeland I will take up weapons once more," he affirmed.

Reinforced Protection along with Cross-Political Opposition

The Colombian defence minister reported that Petro's security detail had been reinforced.

A segment of Colombia’s political right have expressed support with Trump, but voices spanning the ideological divide have denounced the possibility of an invasion against their nation.

Political and Economic Sanctions

American authorities cancelled Petro’s visa subsequent to he called on American soldiers to ignore unlawful commands. Later, in October, it placed economic restrictions on Petro, his spouse and various key allies.

Concurrently the US was building up its military presence in the region and striking suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed operations on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.