The US President along with his Colombian counterpart have turned up the tone of their exchange, increasing tensions bilaterally following American military units targeted Venezuela in an operation to oust President Nicolás Maduro from his position.
"He runs narcotics facilities and processing labs and his time is running out," Trump added.
Escalating Tensions and Claims
Speaking to the press over the weekend, the US president suggested analogous military action towards the South American nation, stating Colombia is “very sick too” and governed by a sick man who likes making the drug and distributing it to the United States."
While Colombia remains the globe's biggest producer of cocaine, no proof exists linking President Gustavo Petro, the nation's current leader, is directly involved in the illicit industry.
A Frayed Relationship
The country was historically a key ally of the US in the campaign against narcotics trade and received cross-party backing in the US capital, but relations have soured dramatically since Trump assumed the presidency.
The nation's drug trade is mainly overseen by illegal armed groups like one major cartel, another leftist insurgency and renegade units of the former Farc guerrillas, most of its former fighters laid down arms after a historic peace agreement.
Colombia's Defiant Response
In response to a query whether a military operation comparable to Venezuela was a possibility regarding Colombia, Trump responded: "It sounds good to me."
President Petro, an ex-guerrilla fighter who disarmed in the last century, rejected these allegations. "I am neither an illegitimate leader and I am not involved in narcotics," he affirmed.
"He comments uninformed. Stop slandering me," he posted in a post.
"Should American forces attack civilians, they will turn into thousands of guerrillas in the hills. And if they detain the nation's leader, whom many of Colombians holds in high esteem, they will provoke the powerful force of the populace," the president cautioned.
From Insurgent to Leader
He passed some years as a young man participating with the radical M-19 armed organization although reports indicate he did not engaged in fighting. Following his disarmament, he was involved in writing the constitutional rewrite over three decades ago and eventually served as an influential politician. He held the office of mayor of the Colombian capital prior to his election the nation's highest office.
"I swore to abstain from using a gun ... but for the homeland I would take up the fight," he vowed.
Heightened Measures and Cross-Political Rejection
The Colombian defence minister announced that the president’s protection team was strengthened.
A segment of Colombia’s right wing opposition have allied themselves with Trump's stance, however, leaders spanning the political spectrum have rejected the threats of an invasion targeting Colombia.
Bilateral and Financial Pressure
Washington cancelled his travel authorization subsequent to he called on US troops to ignore any illegal orders. Months later, it placed economic restrictions targeting Petro, his wife and several key allies.
Concurrently while America bolstered its military presence in the region and targeting vessels thought to carry drugs to put pressure on Venezuela’s Maduro, US forces executed strikes on boats off the Pacific coast adjacent to Colombia.
