President Trump along with Colombia's president have turned up the volume of their war of words, further raising strains in their relations after American military units targeted Venezuela to remove President Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He has drug factories and production sites and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump remarked.
Escalating Tensions and Claims
Speaking to the press on Sunday, the American leader suggested analogous use of force against Colombia, asserting the nation is also "very ill" and “run by a sick man involved in producing narcotics and distributing it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the leading cocaine-producing country, authorities have found no indication that President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way tied to the business.
A Frayed Partnership
This nation was historically a close partner of Washington in the struggle against narcotics trade and enjoyed bipartisan support from American politicians, but relations have deteriorated markedly since Trump came to office.
Its drug trade is largely controlled by illegal armed groups including the Golf Clan, the ELN guerrilla group and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters demobilised subsequent to a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Defiant Rebuttal
In response to a query whether military intervention like that in Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump replied: "I like the sound of that from my perspective."
Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle in the last century, firmly denied these allegations. "I am not an illegitimate leader and certainly not a narco," he affirmed.
"He comments without information. Cease defaming me," he wrote online.
"If US bombs target civilians, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. If they capture the nation's leader, whom a significant portion of the country loves and respects, they will unleash the powerful force of the populace," the president cautioned.
From Insurgent to Leader
He passed part of his youth participating in the left-wing M-19 armed organization though it is believed he did not engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he participated in writing the nation's constitution in the early 90s and later became a prominent senator. He served as mayor of Bogotá before being elected the presidency.
"I pledged to never again hold a gun ... but in defense of my country I would take up the fight," he said.
Heightened Measures and Widespread Condemnation
Minister Pedro Sánchez stated that Petro's security detail had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s political right have sided with the US president, yet figures from across the political spectrum have rejected the possibility of American military action on Colombia.
Political and Financial Strains
Washington revoked Petro’s visa following he called on US military personnel to disobey unlawful commands. Later, in October, the US enacted financial sanctions targeting Petro, his wife and various associates.
Concurrently the US was building up its forces in the Caribbean and targeting alleged narcotics traffickers to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces also carried out operations on boats in Pacific waters off the Colombian coast.
