President Trump and his Colombian counterpart have escalated the volume of their war of words, further raising tensions between the two countries after US forces targeted Venezuela to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.
"He runs cocaine mills and processing labs and his time is running out," Trump added.
Escalating Tensions and Claims
Speaking to journalists on Sunday, Trump threatened similar use of force against Colombia, asserting the nation faces serious problems and “run by a problematic figure involved in producing narcotics and distributing it to America."
Although Colombia is the world’s largest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly tied to the business.
A Frayed Alliance
This nation has long been a key ally of the US in the struggle against drug trafficking and received bipartisan support in the US capital, but relations have deteriorated significantly after Trump assumed the presidency.
Colombia’s drug trade is predominantly run by criminal organizations such as the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and dissident factions of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), most of its former fighters laid down arms after a 2016 peace deal.
Petro's Defiant Response
Upon being questioned whether military intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me."
President Petro, a former leftist guerrilla who demobilised decades ago, firmly denied these allegations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and I am not a narco," he affirmed.
"The US president speaks without information. End the false accusations," he wrote online.
"Should American forces attack rural communities, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the mountains. And if they detain me, whom many of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will unleash the ‘jaguar’ of the people," Petro warned.
From Fighter to Statesman
He passed a period in his early life participating of the leftist M-19 insurgent movement though it is believed he did not engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he was involved in writing a new constitution over three decades ago and later became an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the presidency.
"I made a vow to abstain from using arms again ... but for Colombia I shall resume the fight," he said.
Increased Security along with Widespread Rejection
Minister Pedro Sánchez reported that the president’s security detail had been reinforced.
Many among Colombia’s political right have allied themselves with Trump, however, leaders from all sides of Colombian politics have denounced the notion of an invasion against their nation.
Political and Economic Pressure
American authorities withdrew his travel authorization after he urged American soldiers to refuse any illegal orders. In October, it placed asset freezes against the president, the first lady and various key allies.
At the same time while America bolstered its troop levels in the Caribbean and targeting suspected drug boats to pressure Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed strikes on maritime targets in Pacific waters near Colombia.
