Colombian Leader Warns 'I Will Return to Arms Once More' if United States Invades.

President Trump and his Colombian counterpart have intensified the tone in their verbal conflict, increasing strains bilaterally following American military units struck Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.

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

Escalating Threats coupled with Allegations

Addressing reporters over the weekend, the American leader hinted at analogous armed intervention towards the South American nation, claiming the country faces serious problems and led by a sick man who enjoys creating the drug and selling it to the United States."

Although Colombia is the world’s largest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is personally involved in the trade.

A Deteriorating Partnership

The country for decades served as a staunch collaborator of Washington in the campaign combating drug cartels and enjoyed wide political approval from American politicians, yet ties have worsened significantly after Trump assumed the presidency.

The nation's narcotics trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations like the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom disbanded subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.

Colombia's Defiant Answer

When asked if a military operation like that in Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump responded: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."

President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised in the 1990s, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am no illegitimate and certainly not a drug trafficker," he stated.

"The US president speaks without information. Stop slandering me," he expressed in a post.

"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will transform into numerous insurgents in the hills. And should they arrest the president, which many of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will unleash the fierce spirit of the nation," Petro warned.

From Guerrilla to Statesman

He passed part of his youth as a member of the leftist M-19 armed organization but is not believed to have ever participated in combat. Following his disarmament, he took part in writing a new constitution over three decades ago and eventually served as a prominent senator. He served as mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election president.

"I pledged to abstain from using a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I would take up weapons once more," he vowed.

Heightened Measures and Cross-Political Condemnation

The Colombian defence minister reported that the president’s security detail had received additional support.

Several members of Colombia’s political right have expressed support with Trump's stance, but voices spanning the political spectrum have denounced the threats of American military action against their nation.

Diplomatic and Financial Pressure

The US revoked Petro’s visa after he called on US military personnel to disobey any illegal orders. Months later, authorities imposed asset freezes targeting Petro, his spouse and various close collaborators.

Concurrently as the US increased its military presence near Venezuela and striking suspected drug boats against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed strikes on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.