Colombia's President Says 'I Shall Take Up Arms Again' if United States Launches an Attack.

President Trump along with President Gustavo Petro have escalated the volume in their verbal conflict, increasing strains in their relations following American military units attacked Venezuela in an operation to oust the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from his position.

"He has drug factories and production sites and that won't last much longer," the US president stated.

Escalating Threats and Allegations

Talking to the press over the weekend, the American leader hinted at comparable use of force against Bogotá, stating the nation is also "very ill" and led by a sick man who enjoys creating the drug and trafficking it to the United States."

Although Colombia is the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, no proof exists implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way tied to the business.

A Frayed Alliance

This nation for decades served as a key ally of the United States in the fight against narcotics trade and enjoyed bipartisan support from American politicians, yet ties have worsened dramatically after Trump was elected.

The nation's narcotics trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups including the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members demobilised following a historic peace agreement.

Petro's Defiant Answer

When asked if military intervention like that in Venezuela was being considered for Colombia, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that to me personally."

Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed in the last century, categorically refuted the accusations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and I am not a drug trafficker," he affirmed.

"The US president speaks without information. End the false accusations," he expressed in a message.

"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will become thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And if they detain the president, whom a large part of the population loves and respects, they will provoke the ‘jaguar’ of the people," the president cautioned.

From Fighter to President

The president dedicated a period in his early life as a member of the leftist M-19 armed organization though it is believed that he never participated in combat. Upon leaving the group, he participated in writing a new constitution in the early 90s and eventually served as a respected lawmaker. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the nation's highest office.

"I made a vow to abstain from using a weapon again ... but in defense of my country I will take up the fight," he vowed.

Increased Security and Broad Opposition

Colombia's defense chief stated that the president’s personal security had received additional support.

Several members of Colombia’s political right have sided with Trump's stance, yet figures from all sides of the ideological divide have rejected the threats of a US attack targeting Colombia.

Diplomatic and Economic Strains

American authorities withdrew his travel authorization subsequent to he called on American soldiers to refuse any illegal orders. In October, authorities imposed financial sanctions against the president, the first lady and a number of close collaborators.

Concurrently the US was building up its military presence near Venezuela and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US have also conducted operations on maritime targets off the Pacific coast near Colombia.