Donald Trump along with his Colombian counterpart have turned up the volume in their verbal conflict, heightening tensions bilaterally after US forces struck Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs drug factories and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump added.
Escalating Threats coupled with Claims
Addressing reporters over the weekend, the American leader suggested analogous military action against Colombia, claiming Colombia is also "very ill" and led by a problematic figure who likes making the drug and selling it to the US."
Although Colombia stands as the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way tied to the business.
A Deteriorating Relationship
Colombia was historically a key ally of the United States in the fight against narcotics trade and received wide political approval in the US capital, yet ties have soured dramatically after Trump was elected.
Its illicit drug economy is predominantly run by guerrilla factions like one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, a large contingent of whom laid down arms following a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Defiant Answer
Upon being questioned whether a military operation similar to Venezuela was being considered regarding Colombia, Trump said: "I like the sound of that to me."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the last century, categorically refuted these allegations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he declared.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he posted online.
"Should American forces attack rural communities, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And should they arrest the president, which a large part of Colombians loves and respects, they will unleash the powerful force of the populace," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Leader
He passed a period in his early life participating with the radical M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed that he never took part in armed clashes. Following his disarmament, he was involved in drafting the nation's constitution in 1991 and later became a prominent senator. He was mayor of the capital city before winning president.
"I pledged to abstain from using a weapon again ... but for the homeland I would take up arms again," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Broad Opposition
The Colombian defence minister stated that Petro's protection team had been reinforced.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump's stance, but voices from across Colombian politics have denounced the threats of a US attack against their nation.
Political and Economic Strains
Washington withdrew Petro’s visa after he urged US military personnel to disobey unlawful commands. In October, authorities imposed financial sanctions against the president, his wife and several close collaborators.
Concurrently the US was building up its forces in the region and targeting suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed operations on boats off the Pacific coast off the Colombian coast.
