Colombia's President Warns 'I Would Return to Arms Again' should American Forces Intervenes Militarily.

The US President along with his Colombian counterpart have intensified the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, increasing strains between the two countries following US forces struck Venezuela in an operation to oust Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.

"He runs cocaine mills and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," the US president stated.

Rising Rhetoric coupled with Accusations

Addressing journalists over the weekend, Trump suggested analogous military action towards the South American nation, claiming 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, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is in any way tied to the illicit industry.

A Strained Partnership

Colombia has long been a key ally of the United States in the fight against narcotics trade and benefited from bipartisan support in Washington, yet ties have deteriorated dramatically since Trump assumed the presidency.

The nation's drug trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups such as the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), the majority of whose members disbanded subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.

Petro's Firm Rebuttal

In response to a query whether military intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility against his country, Trump said: "It sounds good to me."

Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who left armed struggle in the last century, firmly denied the accusations. "I am neither illegitimate nor am I a narco," he stated.

"The US president speaks uninformed. End the false accusations," he posted in a post.

"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And if they detain the president, whom many of the country holds in high esteem, they will release the ‘jaguar’ of the people," he admonished.

From Guerrilla to Statesman

Petro spent a period in his early life participating of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement though it is believed that he never participated in combat. After demobilizing, he was involved in writing the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago subsequently becoming an influential politician. He served as mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the presidency.

"I pledged not to touch a gun ... but for the homeland I will take up the fight," he said.

Heightened Measures and Cross-Political Condemnation

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

Several members of Colombia’s political right have sided with the US president, but voices from across the political spectrum have denounced the threats of American military action targeting Colombia.

Diplomatic and Financial Sanctions

American authorities revoked the president's entry visa following he encouraged American soldiers to disobey orders that violate law. Months later, authorities imposed financial sanctions on Petro, his wife and a number of associates.

Concurrently as the US increased its troop levels near Venezuela and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed attacks against vessels in Pacific waters near Colombia.