Colombian President Declares 'I Shall Resort to Weapons Again' if American Forces Invades.

President Trump and his Colombian counterpart have turned up the volume of their war of words, further raising strains bilaterally following American military units struck Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.

"He runs narcotics facilities and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.

Rising Threats coupled with Accusations

Talking to the press on Sunday, the US president hinted at comparable military action against Bogotá, asserting Colombia is also "very ill" and governed by an unwell individual involved in producing the drug and distributing it to the United States."

Although Colombia is the world’s largest cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication linking President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is personally tied to the trade.

A Deteriorating Partnership

This nation was historically a key ally of the US in the fight against narcotics trade and benefited from bipartisan support in Washington, yet ties have deteriorated dramatically following Trump was elected.

The nation's narcotics trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations like one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters disbanded following a historic peace agreement.

Petro's Firm Rebuttal

When asked whether military intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump replied: "It sounds good to me personally."

President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the 1990s, categorically refuted the accusations. "I am no illegitimate and I am not a drug trafficker," he declared.

"He comments uninformed. Stop slandering me," he posted online.

"If US bombs target peasants, they will turn into numerous insurgents across the countryside. And if they detain me, which a large part of the population holds in high esteem, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," Petro warned.

From Insurgent to Leader

Petro spent a period in his early life as a member with the radical M-19 insurgent movement though it is believed that he never engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he was involved in writing the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s and eventually served as a prominent senator. He was mayor of the capital city prior to his election the presidency.

"I swore to never again hold a gun ... but for Colombia I would take up the fight," he vowed.

Increased Security along with Cross-Political Rejection

The Colombian defence minister reported that the national leader's security detail was strengthened.

Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have expressed support with Trump, yet figures from across Colombian politics have rejected the threats of a US attack targeting Colombia.

Bilateral and Financial Pressure

American authorities withdrew Petro’s visa subsequent to he urged US military personnel to ignore orders that violate law. Months later, the US enacted financial sanctions on Petro, his spouse and several close collaborators.

Concurrently while America bolstered its military presence in the Caribbean and bombing suspected drug boats to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets also carried out operations on maritime targets in Pacific waters off the Colombian coast.