Colombia's President Says 'I Would Take Up Arms Again' if United States Launches an Attack.

Donald Trump and President Gustavo Petro have turned up the volume of their exchange, further raising strains between the two countries after US forces targeted Venezuela with the aim of deposing the leader of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro from office.

"He runs cocaine mills and production sites and his time is running out," Trump remarked.

Rising Rhetoric coupled with Claims

Talking to the press over the weekend, Trump threatened analogous military action towards the South American nation, claiming the nation faces serious problems and governed by a problematic figure involved in producing cocaine and selling it to the US."

While Colombia stands as the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, there is no evidence implicating Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is personally connected to the trade.

A Strained Relationship

The country for decades served as a close partner of Washington in the campaign combating drug cartels and received bipartisan support from American politicians, however, the relationship have deteriorated markedly following Trump came to office.

Its narcotics trade is largely controlled by criminal organizations such as one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and breakaway groups of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters disbanded subsequent to a historic peace agreement.

Petro's Defiant Answer

In response to a query whether a military operation similar to Venezuela was on the cards against his country, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."

President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who disarmed in the 1990s, firmly denied Trump's claims. "I am no illegitimate and certainly not a narco," he affirmed.

"The US president speaks without knowledge. Cease defaming me," he expressed in a post.

"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will transform into thousands of guerrillas across the countryside. And if they detain the nation's leader, which a large part of the population loves and respects, they will release the fierce spirit of the populace," Petro warned.

From Fighter to Statesman

He passed some years as a young man as a member in the left-wing M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate he did not engaged in fighting. Upon leaving the group, he took part in drafting a new constitution in the early 90s and later became an influential politician. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before winning president.

"I made a vow to never again hold arms again ... but in defense of my country I would take up arms again," he said.

Increased Security along with Cross-Political Rejection

Colombia's defense chief reported that the national leader's personal security had been reinforced.

Many among Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with Trump, but voices spanning Colombian politics have denounced the threats of a US attack targeting Colombia.

Political and Financial Strains

Washington withdrew the president's entry visa subsequent to he urged US military personnel to refuse orders that violate law. Later, in October, it placed financial sanctions targeting Petro, his wife and various close collaborators.

Simultaneously the US was building up its forces near Venezuela and striking vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, American military assets have also conducted operations against vessels off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.