Colombian Leader Declares 'I Will Return to Arms Again' should US Intervenes Militarily.

Donald Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have escalated the volume of their exchange, further raising tensions bilaterally following American military units targeted Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.

"He runs cocaine mills and cocaine factories and his time is running out," the US president stated.

Rising Tensions coupled with Claims

Talking to reporters on Sunday, the US president threatened analogous military action against Colombia, stating the country is “very sick too” and “run by a problematic figure who likes making narcotics and trafficking it to the United States."

Although Colombia remains the leading source of the narcotic, no proof exists implicating Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way involved in the trade.

A Frayed Relationship

The country has long been a staunch collaborator of the United States in the campaign against drug trafficking and benefited from wide political approval in the US capital, however, the relationship have worsened significantly following Trump assumed the presidency.

Its drug trade is predominantly run by illegal armed groups like the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members disbanded subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.

Colombia's Defiant Rebuttal

When asked if a military operation like that in Venezuela was being considered regarding Colombia, Trump replied: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."

The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who disarmed decades ago, firmly denied the accusations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and certainly not involved in narcotics," he stated.

"Trump speaks uninformed. End the false accusations," he posted in a message.

"If US bombs target peasants, they will transform into numerous insurgents across the countryside. And should they arrest the nation's leader, which many of Colombians admires and supports, they will release the powerful force of the people," he admonished.

From Fighter to Leader

Petro spent some years as a young man as a member with the radical M-19 insurgent movement although reports indicate that he never took part in armed clashes. After demobilizing, he took part in writing the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and later became a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of Bogotá before being elected the nation's highest office.

"I pledged to never again hold a gun ... but for Colombia I shall resume arms again," he said.

Heightened Measures along with Widespread Rejection

Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the national leader's protection team was strengthened.

Several members of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with Trump's stance, but voices spanning Colombian politics have denounced the possibility of American military action on Colombia.

Political and Financial Strains

American authorities cancelled the president's entry visa following he called on American soldiers to disobey any illegal orders. Later, in October, it placed financial sanctions on Petro, the first lady and various associates.

At the same time the US was building up its military presence in the Caribbean and striking suspected drug boats to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets executed operations on boats in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.