Colombia's Leader Warns 'I Would Return to Arms Once More' if United States Invades.

President Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have turned up the volume in their verbal conflict, heightening strains bilaterally following American military units attacked Venezuela in an operation to oust President Nicolás Maduro from office.

"He has cocaine mills and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.

Growing Threats and Allegations

Talking to journalists over the weekend, Trump threatened analogous use of force towards the South American nation, stating the country is “very sick too” and “run by an unwell individual involved in producing the drug and distributing it to the US."

Although Colombia is the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly involved in the business.

A Deteriorating Partnership

The country has long been a key ally of the US in the campaign against narcotics trade and benefited from cross-party backing in the US capital, however, the relationship have deteriorated significantly since Trump assumed the presidency.

The nation's illicit drug economy is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups like the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters demobilised after a landmark accord.

Colombia's Defiant Response

Upon being questioned whether armed intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me."

President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle in the 1990s, rejected these allegations. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and certainly not a narco," he stated.

"Trump speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he wrote online.

"If US bombs target peasants, they will become a multitude of fighters across the countryside. And if they detain the president, which a significant portion of Colombians admires and supports, they will release the fierce spirit of the populace," Petro warned.

From Guerrilla to President

Petro spent part of his youth participating in the left-wing M-19 insurgent movement although reports indicate to have ever took part in armed clashes. After demobilizing, he took part in creating the nation's constitution in the early 90s subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before winning the presidency.

"I swore not to touch arms again ... but for Colombia I would take up arms again," he vowed.

Increased Security along with Widespread Condemnation

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

Several members of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with Trump's stance, yet figures from all sides of the political spectrum have rejected the possibility of an invasion on Colombia.

Bilateral and Financial Sanctions

The US cancelled the president's entry visa subsequent to he urged American soldiers to disobey unlawful commands. In October, authorities imposed financial sanctions against the president, his spouse and a number of associates.

Simultaneously as the US increased its troop levels in the Caribbean and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted strikes against vessels in Pacific waters off the Colombian coast.