Colombia's President Declares 'I Will Take Up Arms Again' should United States Intervenes Militarily.

Donald Trump along with Colombia's president have escalated the volume of their war of words, heightening tensions bilaterally after US forces struck Venezuela in an operation to oust President Nicolás Maduro from office.

"He has cocaine mills and production sites and his time is running out," Trump remarked.

Rising Rhetoric coupled with Claims

Addressing reporters over the weekend, Trump hinted at comparable armed intervention against Bogotá, claiming the country faces serious problems and governed by an unwell individual who likes making cocaine and selling it to America."

Although Colombia is the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally connected to the trade.

A Deteriorating Relationship

This nation was historically a key ally of Washington in the struggle combating drug cartels and received bipartisan support in the US capital, however, the relationship have soured markedly following Trump was elected.

Colombia’s drug trade is predominantly run by illegal armed groups like the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, a large contingent of whom laid down arms after a 2016 peace deal.

Petro's Firm Rebuttal

In response to a query if a military operation comparable to Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump said: "It sounds good to me personally."

President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who left armed struggle in the 1990s, firmly denied these allegations. "I am neither illegitimate nor am I involved in narcotics," he affirmed.

"The US president speaks without information. Cease defaming me," he wrote in a message.

"If they [the US] bomb peasants, they will turn into a multitude of fighters across the countryside. If they capture the nation's leader, which a large part of Colombians loves and respects, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," Petro warned.

From Insurgent to President

The president dedicated part of his youth belonging of the leftist M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed he did not took part in armed clashes. Upon leaving the group, he participated in writing a new constitution in 1991 subsequently becoming a respected lawmaker. He served as mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected president.

"I made a vow to abstain from using a weapon again ... but for the homeland I will take up the fight," he affirmed.

Heightened Measures along with Cross-Political Condemnation

The Colombian defence minister reported that the national leader's personal security was strengthened.

Several members of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump's stance, but voices spanning the ideological divide have condemned the threats of a US attack targeting Colombia.

Bilateral and Economic Strains

Washington revoked the president's entry visa following he urged US troops to refuse orders that violate law. In October, it placed economic restrictions targeting Petro, his wife and several key allies.

Concurrently the US was building up its military presence near Venezuela and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed operations against vessels in the eastern Pacific region adjacent to Colombia.