Colombian President Declares 'I Would Return to Arms Again' if United States Intervenes Militarily.

President Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have escalated the volume of their exchange, further raising strains bilaterally following US forces attacked Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from office.

"He has narcotics facilities and cocaine factories and his time is running out," Trump added.

Rising Tensions and Claims

Addressing the press over the weekend, the American leader hinted at similar military action against Bogotá, claiming the nation is also "very ill" and governed by an unwell individual involved in producing cocaine and distributing it to America."

While Colombia remains the world’s largest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way connected to the illicit industry.

A Frayed Alliance

The country has long been a key ally of the US in the campaign against drug trafficking and benefited from cross-party backing in the US capital, however, the relationship have worsened dramatically following Trump assumed the presidency.

Its narcotics trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups such as one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters demobilised subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.

The President's Strong Rebuttal

Upon being questioned if a military operation comparable to Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me personally."

President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle decades ago, rejected Trump's claims. "I am not an illegitimate leader and I am not a drug trafficker," he stated.

"He comments uninformed. Stop slandering me," he posted in a post.

"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will turn into a multitude of fighters across the countryside. And should they arrest me, whom a large part of the population loves and respects, they will provoke the powerful force of the populace," he admonished.

From Guerrilla to Statesman

Petro spent some years as a young man participating of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed to have ever participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he participated in drafting the nation's constitution over three decades ago subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of the capital city before being elected the nation's highest office.

"I swore to abstain from using a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I would take up the fight," he affirmed.

Reinforced Protection along with Broad Opposition

The Colombian defence minister stated that the president’s personal security was strengthened.

A segment of Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with the US president, yet figures from across the political spectrum have rejected the threats of a US attack against their nation.

Political and Economic Sanctions

Washington cancelled Petro’s visa following he called on US military personnel to ignore orders that violate law. Later, in October, authorities imposed asset freezes against the president, his spouse and a number of associates.

Concurrently the US was building up its forces in the region and striking suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed strikes on boats off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.