Colombia's Leader Says 'I Shall Return to Arms Again' should United States Launches an Attack.

Donald Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have intensified the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, further raising tensions between the two countries following US forces targeted Venezuela in an operation to oust the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.

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

Escalating Threats and Allegations

Speaking to the press over the weekend, the American leader suggested analogous armed intervention against Colombia, claiming Colombia is “very sick too” and led by an unwell individual who likes making the drug and trafficking it to America."

While Colombia is the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly tied to the trade.

A Strained Relationship

This nation was historically a close partner of Washington in the struggle against narcotics trade and enjoyed bipartisan support from American politicians, however, the relationship have worsened significantly after Trump was elected.

Colombia’s narcotics trade is mainly overseen by criminal organizations such as one major cartel, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, the majority of whose members demobilised subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.

Colombia's Firm Rebuttal

When asked if armed intervention like that in Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump replied: "That seems like a good idea to me."

Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the 1990s, rejected Trump's claims. "I am neither an illegitimate leader nor am I a drug trafficker," he stated.

"He comments uninformed. End the false accusations," he wrote online.

"If US bombs target peasants, they will turn into numerous insurgents across the countryside. And if they detain the president, which many of the country admires and supports, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the people," he admonished.

From Fighter to Statesman

Petro spent a period in his early life belonging with the radical M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate he did not participated in combat. Following his disarmament, he was involved in writing a new constitution over three decades ago and later became a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of Bogotá before being elected the nation's highest office.

"I swore not to touch a gun ... but for the homeland I will take up arms again," he vowed.

Heightened Measures and Widespread Rejection

The Colombian defence minister stated that Petro's protection team had been reinforced.

Several members of Colombia’s political right have expressed support with Trump, but voices from across the political spectrum have condemned the threats of a US attack targeting Colombia.

Diplomatic and Financial Sanctions

The US cancelled the president's entry visa after he called on American soldiers to refuse orders that violate law. Months later, the US enacted economic restrictions targeting Petro, the first lady and several key allies.

Concurrently while America bolstered its military presence in the Caribbean and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed strikes against vessels in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.