The US President along with Colombia's president have escalated the volume of their war of words, further raising strains bilaterally after US forces attacked Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from power.
"He operates cocaine mills and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.
Growing Threats and Claims
Addressing journalists on Sunday, Trump threatened similar military action against Colombia, stating the country is also "very ill" and led by an unwell individual who likes making narcotics and distributing it to America."
While Colombia is the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence that President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally tied to the illicit industry.
A Frayed Alliance
This nation for decades served as a close partner of the United States in the campaign against narcotics trade and benefited from wide political approval in the US capital, but relations have worsened markedly since Trump was elected.
Colombia’s narcotics trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups like the Golf Clan, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and renegade units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters demobilised after a landmark accord.
Colombia's Firm Answer
In response to a query if military intervention comparable to Venezuela was on the cards regarding Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me."
The Colombian leader, an ex-guerrilla fighter who demobilised decades ago, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am no illegitimate and certainly not a drug trafficker," he stated.
"Trump speaks uninformed. Cease defaming me," he wrote in a message.
"If US bombs target peasants, they will transform into a multitude of fighters across the countryside. If they capture the nation's leader, which many of Colombians admires and supports, they will unleash the powerful force of the people," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Leader
He passed a period in his early life as a member with the radical M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed to have ever took part in armed clashes. Following his disarmament, he participated in creating a new constitution over three decades ago subsequently becoming a prominent senator. He held the office of mayor of the capital city prior to his election the presidency.
"I pledged not to touch a weapon again ... but for Colombia I shall resume the fight," he affirmed.
Heightened Measures and Cross-Political Condemnation
Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that the national leader's protection team was strengthened.
Several members of Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with Trump's stance, yet figures from across the ideological divide have denounced the notion of an invasion targeting Colombia.
Political and Economic Strains
Washington cancelled Petro’s visa following he urged US military personnel to ignore orders that violate law. Months later, authorities imposed asset freezes on Petro, the first lady and a number of close collaborators.
Simultaneously the US was building up its forces in the Caribbean and targeting suspected drug boats to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out operations on boats in Pacific waters off the Colombian coast.
