Colombian President Warns 'I Shall Resort to Weapons Once More' if American Forces Intervenes Militarily.

Donald Trump and his Colombian counterpart have intensified the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, heightening tensions bilaterally after American military units targeted Venezuela in an operation to oust the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from power.

"He runs narcotics facilities and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.

Rising Tensions and Allegations

Speaking to reporters over the weekend, Trump hinted at analogous use of force against Bogotá, stating Colombia faces serious problems and “run by a sick man involved in producing the drug and distributing it to America."

Although Colombia remains the leading producer of cocaine, authorities have found no indication implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly involved in the illicit industry.

A Strained Alliance

This nation has long been a close partner of the US in the struggle against drug trafficking and received cross-party backing in Washington, but relations have worsened dramatically since Trump assumed the presidency.

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

Colombia's Firm Response

Upon being questioned whether military intervention similar to Venezuela was being considered against his country, Trump replied: "That seems like a good idea to me."

The Colombian leader, a former leftist guerrilla who disarmed in the 1990s, firmly denied these allegations. "I am no an illegitimate leader nor am I a drug trafficker," he declared.

"Trump speaks uninformed. Stop slandering me," he expressed in a message.

"Should American forces attack civilians, they will become a multitude of fighters across the countryside. And if they detain the president, which many of Colombians admires and supports, they will provoke the fierce spirit of the nation," he admonished.

From Fighter to President

The president dedicated a period in his early life belonging in the left-wing M-19 guerrilla group but is not believed he did not participated in combat. Following his disarmament, he was involved in creating the constitutional rewrite in the early 90s subsequently becoming an influential politician. He served as mayor of the capital city before winning the presidency.

"I pledged to abstain from using a gun ... but for Colombia I would take up arms again," he affirmed.

Increased Security along with Broad Condemnation

Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that the president’s security detail had received additional support.

Many among Colombia’s conservative opposition have allied themselves with the US president, however, leaders from all sides of the ideological divide have rejected the possibility of a US attack on Colombia.

Diplomatic and Financial Sanctions

The US revoked his travel authorization subsequent to he urged American soldiers to refuse unlawful commands. Later, in October, authorities imposed economic restrictions on Petro, his spouse and several key allies.

Simultaneously the US was building up its forces in the region and striking alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces have also conducted attacks against vessels off the Pacific coast near Colombia.