Trump threatens military operation against Colombia, after Venezuela raid

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE, Jan 5: US President Donald Trump on Sunday threatened military action against Colombia's government, telling reporters that such an operation "sounds good to me" and prompting an angry response from Bogota.

The comments came after the United States captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a raid early on Saturday and whisked him to New York to face drug-trafficking charges.

"Colombia is very sick, too, run by a sick man, who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States, and he's not going to be doing it very long," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, in an apparent reference to Colombia's President Gustavo Petro.

Asked directly whether the U.S. would pursue a military operation against the country, Trump said: "It sounds good to me."
Colombia rejected Trump's comments as an unacceptable threat against an elected leader.

"It represents an undue interference in the internal affairs of the country, against the norms of international law," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement late on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Colombia's President Gustavo Petro on Sunday rejected threats by his US counterpart Donald Trump who also accused him of being a drug trafficker.

US forces attacked Caracas in the early hours of Saturday, bombing military targets during a shock snatch-and-grab raid to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro from power and assert Washington's control over the oil-rich South American nation.

Speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Sunday Trump made similar threats of military action against Colombia, saying the South American country is "very sick too" and "run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States."

"He has cocaine mills and cocaine factories and is not going to be doing it very long," Trump added.

When asked whether military intervention similar to Venezuela was on the cards for Colombia, the Republican leader said: "It sounds good to me."

"You know why because they kill a lot of people," Trump claimed without evidence. Petro rebuffed the accusations saying his "name does not appear in court records."    �"REUTERS, AFP