Donald Trump along with Colombia's president have intensified the volume of their war of words, further raising tensions bilaterally following US forces targeted Venezuela in an operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs drug factories and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.
Rising Threats coupled with Allegations
Addressing the press on Sunday, Trump suggested analogous use of force against Bogotá, asserting the country is also "very ill" and led by a sick man who likes making narcotics and distributing it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, no proof exists implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly involved in the business.
A Strained Alliance
The country for decades served as a key ally of the US in the campaign against narcotics trade and benefited from wide political approval in the US capital, but relations have worsened markedly after Trump assumed the presidency.
The nation's drug trade is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions including the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and breakaway groups of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members disbanded subsequent to a landmark accord.
The President's Defiant Response
When asked whether a military operation like that in Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea from my perspective."
Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed decades ago, categorically refuted these allegations. "I am neither illegitimate and I am not a narco," he stated.
"The US president speaks uninformed. End the false accusations," he wrote online.
"Should American forces attack civilians, they will turn into a multitude of fighters in the mountains. And if they detain the president, which a large part of the country holds in high esteem, they will provoke the powerful force of the nation," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Leader
He passed some years as a young man as a member in the left-wing M-19 armed organization although reports indicate that he never participated in combat. Following his disarmament, he took part in creating a new constitution in the early 90s and later became an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election president.
"I pledged to never again hold a gun ... but in defense of my country I shall resume the fight," he said.
Heightened Measures along with Broad Condemnation
Colombia's defense chief announced that Petro's security detail had received additional support.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have expressed support with Trump, yet figures spanning the ideological divide have denounced the possibility of a US attack on Colombia.
Political and Economic Pressure
American authorities cancelled his travel authorization after he called on US troops to refuse unlawful commands. Months later, it placed asset freezes targeting Petro, the first lady and several close collaborators.
Concurrently as the US increased its troop levels in the region and bombing vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed attacks on boats off the Pacific coast near Colombia.
