President Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have turned up the tone of their war of words, further raising tensions between the two countries following US forces struck Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He runs drug factories and cocaine factories and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Rising Threats coupled with Claims
Addressing the press on Sunday, the American leader threatened analogous use of force towards the South American nation, stating the country is also "very ill" and “run by an unwell individual who likes making cocaine and trafficking it to the US."
While Colombia remains the leading source of the narcotic, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way involved in the business.
A Strained Partnership
The country has long been a staunch collaborator of the United States in the fight combating drug cartels and received cross-party backing in Washington, yet ties have deteriorated significantly following Trump came to office.
The nation's narcotics trade is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions like the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom laid down arms following a historic peace agreement.
The President's Strong Response
Upon being questioned whether armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was being considered against his country, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea from my perspective."
Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who disarmed decades ago, firmly denied these allegations. "I am neither illegitimate nor am I a drug trafficker," he stated.
"The US president speaks without information. Stop slandering me," he expressed online.
"Should American forces attack rural communities, they will become numerous insurgents in the mountains. And if they detain the nation's leader, which a significant portion of Colombians admires and supports, they will provoke the powerful force of the populace," he admonished.
From Insurgent to President
Petro spent some years as a young man belonging of the leftist M-19 armed organization though it is believed he did not engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he took part in creating the nation's constitution in 1991 subsequently becoming an influential politician. He was mayor of Bogotá prior to his election the presidency.
"I pledged to abstain from using a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I shall resume weapons once more," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures along with Cross-Political Opposition
The Colombian defence minister stated that the national leader's protection team had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have sided with Trump, but voices from all sides of Colombian politics have denounced the possibility of a US attack on Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Sanctions
The US cancelled Petro’s visa after he urged US troops to ignore unlawful commands. In October, it placed financial sanctions on Petro, his spouse and a number of close collaborators.
Concurrently while America bolstered its forces in the region and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, the US also carried out operations against vessels in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
