Colombia's President Declares 'I Will Resort to Weapons Again' should US Launches an Attack.

The US President along with his Colombian counterpart have escalated the volume in their verbal conflict, increasing tensions in their relations following American military units targeted Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.

"He operates cocaine mills and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.

Rising Rhetoric coupled with Accusations

Talking to reporters on Sunday, Trump suggested similar military action against Bogotá, stating Colombia is “very sick too” and led by a problematic figure who likes making cocaine and selling it to America."

While Colombia is the leading producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally connected to the business.

A Frayed Alliance

Colombia for decades served as a key ally of the United States in the struggle against narcotics trade and enjoyed bipartisan support in Washington, but relations have soured markedly following Trump came to office.

Colombia’s drug trade is largely controlled by criminal organizations like one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters demobilised following a 2016 peace deal.

The President's Defiant Rebuttal

When asked whether a military operation comparable to Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "It sounds good from my perspective."

President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised decades ago, rejected Trump's claims. "I am not an illegitimate leader nor am I involved in narcotics," he stated.

"He comments without knowledge. End the false accusations," he expressed in a message.

"If US bombs target civilians, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And should they arrest the president, whom a large part of the population holds in high esteem, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," the president cautioned.

From Guerrilla to Leader

Petro spent a period in his early life participating of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate that he never took part in armed clashes. Following his disarmament, he participated in drafting the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and eventually served as a prominent senator. He was mayor of Bogotá before being elected president.

"I made a vow to abstain from using a gun ... but for Colombia I would take up weapons once more," he said.

Increased Security and Widespread Condemnation

The Colombian defence minister announced that the president’s personal security had been reinforced.

A segment of Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump, yet figures spanning the ideological divide have denounced the threats of American military action targeting Colombia.

Diplomatic and Financial Sanctions

American authorities revoked his travel authorization following he encouraged US military personnel to ignore orders that violate law. Later, in October, the US enacted asset freezes on Petro, the first lady and various associates.

Simultaneously the US was building up its forces in the Caribbean and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US have also conducted attacks against vessels off the Pacific coast near Colombia.