Colombia's Leader Says 'I Shall Return to Arms Once More' if United States Launches an Attack.

President Trump along with Colombia's president have turned up the tone of their war of words, increasing strains bilaterally after American military units attacked Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.

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

Growing Rhetoric and Claims

Talking to journalists over the weekend, the US president hinted at comparable use of force against Bogotá, stating Colombia faces serious problems and governed by a sick man involved in producing narcotics and selling it to America."

While Colombia stands as the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly connected to the business.

A Strained Partnership

This nation has long been a key ally of the US in the campaign against narcotics trade and received cross-party backing in Washington, yet ties have soured significantly after Trump came to office.

Colombia’s drug trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups such as the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and dissident factions of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters laid down arms following a 2016 peace deal.

Colombia's Defiant Answer

Upon being questioned whether military intervention like that in Venezuela was being considered against his country, Trump responded: "It sounds good from my perspective."

The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who disarmed decades ago, firmly denied the accusations. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and I am not a drug trafficker," he affirmed.

"He comments uninformed. Cease defaming me," he posted in a post.

"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. And if they detain me, whom a large part of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the nation," he admonished.

From Guerrilla to President

He passed some years as a young man as a member in the left-wing M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate that he never took part in armed clashes. Following his disarmament, he took part in drafting the nation's constitution in 1991 and later became a prominent senator. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election the nation's highest office.

"I made a vow to abstain from using a gun ... but for the homeland I shall resume the fight," he affirmed.

Reinforced Protection and Cross-Political Opposition

Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the president’s personal security had received additional support.

Several members of Colombia’s political right have expressed support with Trump, yet figures spanning Colombian politics have denounced the threats of a US attack targeting Colombia.

Diplomatic and Financial Sanctions

American authorities cancelled the president's entry visa after he encouraged US troops to ignore any illegal orders. In October, the US enacted financial sanctions targeting Petro, his wife and several associates.

Simultaneously the US was building up its forces in the Caribbean and striking vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed strikes on boats in Pacific waters near Colombia.