Colombian President Warns 'I Will Return to Arms Again' should United States Launches an Attack.

President Trump and his Colombian counterpart have intensified the volume in their verbal conflict, heightening strains in their relations after US forces targeted Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.

"He has drug factories and processing labs and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.

Growing Tensions and Accusations

Speaking to journalists over the weekend, the US president hinted at similar armed intervention against Bogotá, claiming Colombia is “very sick too” and governed by a problematic figure who enjoys creating narcotics and distributing it to the United States."

While Colombia is the leading producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally connected to the illicit industry.

A Strained Partnership

This nation for decades served as a key ally of Washington in the campaign combating drug cartels and enjoyed wide political approval in the US capital, yet ties have soured dramatically after Trump was elected.

Colombia’s illicit drug economy is predominantly run by criminal organizations including the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom laid down arms subsequent to a historic peace agreement.

Petro's Defiant Answer

When asked whether armed intervention similar to Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me."

Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised decades ago, categorically refuted these allegations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and certainly not a narco," he stated.

"He comments uninformed. Cease defaming me," he wrote in a message.

"Should American forces attack rural communities, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And should they arrest me, whom a large part of the country holds in high esteem, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," the president cautioned.

From Fighter to Leader

He passed some years as a young man participating in the left-wing M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed he did not took part in armed clashes. Following his disarmament, he was involved in drafting the constitutional rewrite in 1991 and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He was mayor of the capital city before winning the presidency.

"I swore to abstain from using a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I will take up arms again," he vowed.

Reinforced Protection and Broad Rejection

The Colombian defence minister announced that Petro's security detail had received additional support.

Several members of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with Trump, but voices spanning the political spectrum have denounced the threats of an invasion on Colombia.

Bilateral and Economic Pressure

The US cancelled the president's entry visa after he called on American soldiers to disobey unlawful commands. In October, it placed economic restrictions against the president, his spouse and various close collaborators.

Concurrently the US was building up its troop levels near Venezuela and striking suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed attacks on maritime targets in Pacific waters near Colombia.