Donald Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have escalated the volume in their verbal conflict, further raising tensions between the two countries after American military units struck Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He runs cocaine mills and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.
Rising Tensions and Claims
Talking to reporters over the weekend, the US president suggested comparable use of force towards the South American nation, claiming the country is “very sick too” and “run by a problematic figure who likes making narcotics and selling it to the United States."
While Colombia stands as the world’s largest source of the narcotic, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally tied to the business.
A Strained Partnership
The country was historically a close partner of the US in the struggle against narcotics trade and enjoyed bipartisan support in the US capital, yet ties have soured markedly since Trump came to office.
Its narcotics trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups such as the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom disbanded subsequent to a landmark accord.
Petro's Defiant Rebuttal
When asked if armed intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me."
Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who demobilised in the last century, firmly denied these allegations. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and certainly not a drug trafficker," he stated.
"He comments uninformed. Stop slandering me," he posted in a message.
"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will transform into numerous insurgents across the countryside. And if they detain me, whom a significant portion of Colombians admires and supports, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the nation," the president cautioned.
From Guerrilla to Leader
He passed part of his youth belonging with the radical M-19 armed organization but is not believed he did not took part in armed clashes. After demobilizing, he took part in creating the nation's constitution over three decades ago and later became a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of the capital city before winning the nation's highest office.
"I swore not to touch arms again ... but for Colombia I would take up the fight," he affirmed.
Reinforced Protection along with Broad Rejection
The Colombian defence minister announced that Petro's security detail had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with Trump's stance, yet figures spanning the ideological divide have rejected the possibility of a US attack targeting Colombia.
Political and Financial Strains
Washington revoked his travel authorization after he urged US military personnel to refuse any illegal orders. Later, in October, it placed economic restrictions against the president, his spouse and several associates.
At the same time the US was building up its military presence in the region and striking suspected drug boats against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed attacks on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.
