The US President and Colombia's president have intensified the rhetoric of their war of words, further raising tensions between the two countries after US forces struck Venezuela with the aim of deposing President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He operates cocaine mills and processing labs and his time is running out," Trump remarked.
Escalating Tensions and Claims
Addressing reporters over the weekend, the US president threatened comparable armed intervention towards the South American nation, asserting the nation is also "very ill" and “run by a sick man who enjoys creating the drug and distributing it to the US."
Although Colombia remains the globe's biggest cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally connected to the trade.
A Frayed Alliance
This nation for decades served as a key ally of Washington in the campaign combating drug cartels and received wide political approval in the US capital, yet ties have soured dramatically following Trump assumed the presidency.
The nation's narcotics trade is mainly overseen by guerrilla factions including the Clan del Golfo, another leftist insurgency and breakaway groups of the demobilized Farc, most of its former fighters disbanded following a landmark accord.
Colombia's Firm Rebuttal
In response to a query if armed intervention similar to Venezuela was being considered regarding Colombia, Trump said: "It sounds good to me."
Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who demobilised decades ago, rejected Trump's claims. "I am no an illegitimate leader and certainly not a drug trafficker," he declared.
"He comments without information. End the false accusations," he wrote online.
"If US bombs target rural communities, they will transform into numerous insurgents in the mountains. And if they detain me, whom many of the country loves and respects, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the populace," Petro warned.
From Guerrilla to Leader
Petro spent some years as a young man belonging with the radical M-19 insurgent movement although reports indicate he did not engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he took part in drafting the nation's constitution over three decades ago and eventually served as an influential politician. He served as mayor of the capital city before winning the nation's highest office.
"I pledged to abstain from using a weapon again ... but for the homeland I would take up the fight," he vowed.
Heightened Measures and Broad Opposition
Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the president’s security detail had received additional support.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have expressed support with Trump's stance, however, leaders from all sides of Colombian politics have condemned the notion of an invasion targeting Colombia.
Political and Economic Pressure
Washington withdrew Petro’s visa following he called on US military personnel to refuse orders that violate law. In October, authorities imposed asset freezes on Petro, his wife and various associates.
At the same time the US was building up its forces in the Caribbean and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted strikes against vessels in the eastern Pacific region off the Colombian coast.
