Colombia's President Says 'I Will Take Up Arms Again' should United States Invades.

Donald Trump and Colombia's president have turned up the volume of their exchange, further raising tensions bilaterally after American military units attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from office.

"He runs cocaine mills and production sites and that won't last much longer," Trump added.

Growing Threats and Accusations

Addressing journalists on Sunday, the American leader suggested comparable armed intervention towards the South American nation, stating Colombia faces serious problems and “run by an unwell individual involved in producing the drug and trafficking it to the United States."

Although Colombia is the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, no proof exists that President Gustavo Petro, elected two years ago, is in any way involved in the trade.

A Strained Alliance

Colombia has long been a close partner of the US in the struggle against narcotics trade and received wide political approval in Washington, yet ties have soured dramatically following Trump assumed the presidency.

Its narcotics trade is largely controlled by criminal organizations such as the Clan del Golfo, the National Liberation Army (ELN) and breakaway groups of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc), a large contingent of whom demobilised subsequent to a landmark accord.

Petro's Strong Answer

When asked if armed intervention similar to Venezuela was a possibility for Colombia, Trump said: "That seems like a good idea to me personally."

President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who left armed struggle decades ago, rejected the accusations. "I am no an illegitimate leader and certainly not a narco," he stated.

"The US president speaks without information. End the false accusations," he wrote in a message.

"If they [the US] bomb civilians, they will become numerous insurgents in the hills. And should they arrest me, which a significant portion of Colombians admires and supports, they will provoke the powerful force of the nation," Petro warned.

From Fighter to Leader

Petro spent some years as a young man belonging with the radical M-19 guerrilla group though it is believed that he never took part in armed clashes. Following his disarmament, he was involved in creating the nation's constitution in 1991 and eventually served as a prominent senator. He held the office of mayor of Bogotá before being elected the presidency.

"I swore to abstain from using a gun ... but for the homeland I would take up arms again," he affirmed.

Increased Security and Broad Opposition

The Colombian defence minister stated that the national leader's personal security had received additional support.

A segment of Colombia’s political right have sided with the US president, however, leaders from across Colombian politics have condemned the possibility of American military action against their nation.

Diplomatic and Financial Pressure

American authorities withdrew Petro’s visa after he called on US troops to ignore orders that violate law. In October, it placed asset freezes on Petro, his wife and a number of key allies.

At the same time the US was building up its troop levels in the Caribbean and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US have also conducted operations on maritime targets in the eastern Pacific region near Colombia.