Colombian Leader Warns 'I Shall Take Up Arms Once More' should United States Invades.

Donald Trump and President Gustavo Petro have intensified the rhetoric in their verbal conflict, heightening strains between the two countries following US forces attacked Venezuela with the aim of deposing Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro from power.

"He runs cocaine mills and cocaine factories and that won't last much longer," Trump remarked.

Rising Tensions coupled with Accusations

Talking to the press on Sunday, the American leader suggested analogous military action against Bogotá, claiming Colombia is also "very ill" and governed by a problematic figure who likes making cocaine and selling it to the US."

Although Colombia stands as the globe's biggest source of the narcotic, there is no evidence linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly involved in the trade.

A Frayed Alliance

The country has long been a key ally of the US in the fight combating drug cartels and received wide political approval from American politicians, but relations have soured dramatically since Trump was elected.

The nation's illicit drug economy is largely controlled by criminal organizations including the Golf Clan, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, the majority of whose members disbanded following a 2016 peace deal.

Colombia's Strong Rebuttal

Upon being questioned if military intervention like that in Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, Trump responded: "I like the sound of that to me."

President Petro, once a member of a left-wing insurgent group who demobilised in the last century, rejected these allegations. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and certainly not a narco," he stated.

"Trump speaks without knowledge. Cease defaming me," he expressed online.

"If they [the US] bomb rural communities, they will transform into a multitude of fighters across the countryside. And if they detain the nation's leader, whom many of the population admires and supports, they will unleash the powerful force of the people," he admonished.

From Guerrilla to Statesman

Petro spent part of his youth belonging with the radical M-19 guerrilla group although reports indicate that he never engaged in fighting. After demobilizing, he took part in creating the nation's constitution in 1991 and eventually served as a prominent senator. He was mayor of the Colombian capital before being elected the nation's highest office.

"I made a vow not to touch a gun ... but in defense of my country I will take up weapons once more," he affirmed.

Reinforced Protection along with Widespread Rejection

The Colombian defence minister stated that Petro's protection team had been reinforced.

A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have expressed support with Trump's stance, yet figures from all sides of the ideological divide have rejected the possibility of an invasion against their nation.

Political and Economic Sanctions

Washington cancelled his travel authorization subsequent to he urged US troops to disobey unlawful commands. In October, authorities imposed financial sanctions on Petro, the first lady and several key allies.

At the same time the US was building up its troop levels in the Caribbean and bombing alleged narcotics traffickers against Venezuela’s Maduro, the US executed strikes against vessels in Pacific waters near Colombia.