The US President and his Colombian counterpart have turned up the volume of their exchange, further raising tensions bilaterally after American military units struck Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He has drug factories and production sites and his time is running out," the US president stated.
Growing Rhetoric coupled with Accusations
Addressing the press on Sunday, the American leader threatened comparable military action against Colombia, asserting the country faces serious problems and governed by a sick man involved in producing narcotics and distributing it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the leading source of the narcotic, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly involved in the illicit industry.
A Frayed Relationship
Colombia for decades served as a key ally of Washington in the campaign combating drug cartels and enjoyed cross-party backing in the US capital, yet ties have soured dramatically since Trump was elected.
The nation's illicit drug economy is predominantly run by illegal armed groups such as the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom disbanded after a landmark accord.
Colombia's Strong Rebuttal
In response to a query whether a military operation comparable to Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump responded: "It sounds good to me personally."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised decades ago, firmly denied the accusations. "I am neither illegitimate nor am I involved in narcotics," he affirmed.
"He comments uninformed. End the false accusations," he posted online.
"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will become numerous insurgents in the hills. And if they detain the nation's leader, which a significant portion of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," Petro warned.
From Insurgent to Statesman
He passed part of his youth participating of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement though it is believed he did not took part in armed clashes. After demobilizing, he took part in drafting the constitutional rewrite in 1991 subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He served as mayor of Bogotá prior to his election the presidency.
"I swore to never again hold a gun ... but in defense of my country I will take up arms again," he said.
Reinforced Protection along with Widespread Opposition
Colombia's defense chief stated that the national leader's personal security was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s political right have expressed support with Trump, however, leaders from all sides of the political spectrum have denounced the notion of a US attack on Colombia.
Political and Financial Strains
The US cancelled the president's entry visa after he encouraged American soldiers to refuse any illegal orders. Later, in October, it placed asset freezes on Petro, his wife and several close collaborators.
At the same time the US was building up its forces in the region and striking alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out attacks on boats off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
