Colombian Leader Warns 'I Shall Return to Arms Again' if United States Launches an Attack.

President Trump and President Gustavo Petro have escalated the volume of their war of words, further raising strains between the two countries after US forces targeted Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from office.

"He runs narcotics facilities and production sites and his time is running out," Trump remarked.

Escalating Rhetoric coupled with Claims

Talking to the press over the weekend, Trump threatened comparable military action against Bogotá, claiming the nation is also "very ill" and governed by a sick man who enjoys creating narcotics and selling it to the United States."

While Colombia is the world’s largest cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is directly involved in the illicit industry.

A Strained Partnership

This nation for decades served as a staunch collaborator of the United States in the fight against drug trafficking and enjoyed wide political approval in the US capital, however, the relationship have deteriorated dramatically following Trump assumed the presidency.

Colombia’s narcotics trade is largely controlled by guerrilla factions such as the Golf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members disbanded after a 2016 peace deal.

Colombia's Strong Answer

When asked if military intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that to me personally."

The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the last century, categorically refuted the accusations. "I am no illegitimate and I am not a narco," he affirmed.

"The US president speaks without knowledge. Cease defaming me," he wrote online.

"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. If they capture me, which many of the country loves and respects, they will release the fierce spirit of the nation," the president cautioned.

From Fighter to President

He passed some years as a young man as a member with the radical M-19 armed organization but is not believed to have ever took part in armed clashes. Upon leaving the group, he participated in drafting the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of the capital city before being elected the presidency.

"I pledged to never again hold a weapon again ... but for the homeland I shall resume weapons once more," he affirmed.

Reinforced Protection along with Broad Opposition

The Colombian defence minister announced that the president’s personal security had received additional support.

Several members of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with Trump, but voices spanning the political spectrum have denounced the threats of an invasion on Colombia.

Bilateral and Financial Strains

American authorities revoked his travel authorization after he encouraged US troops to refuse any illegal orders. Months later, authorities imposed asset freezes against the president, his wife and various key allies.

Simultaneously the US was building up its troop levels in the region and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out strikes on maritime targets off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.