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The United States has publicly classified Colombia as a country that has “clearly not met” its obligations to combat illegal drug operations, while stopping short from cutting off financial support to the country.

Every year, the Washington formally certifies whether several countries are entirely working together with US-led counternarcotic efforts, and those judged inadequate risk having their American financial aid suspended.

On Monday, the US leadership declared that cocaine production in Colombia had increased to record figures under its socialist president, Gustavo Petro, a claim that the head of state rejected.

In response, the Colombian government declared it would cease purchasing arms from the US.

Cabinet member Armando Benedetti stated to local radio that his government would discontinue the procurement of military hardware "from this moment on".

Additional countries the United States stated had fallen short of their targets were the Central Asian nation, Bolivia, Myanmar and the Bolivarian Republic.

The country was placed on the roster for the initial instance since the late 1990s.

The move is likely to damage bilateral connections between its leadership and the Trump administration.

President Petro used digital channels to respond to the Washington's accusation that during his time in office the land cultivated with coca plants and the manufacture of cocaine had hit record levels.

The plant are the primary component in the drug, and the nation has historically been the largest manufacturer of the illegal drug.

A survey by the UN agency (UNODC) showed that coca bush cultivation had grown by ten percent in 2023. Statistics for 2024 are due to be released in the coming weeks.

However the president maintained that it had been during the leadership of the former president, who was in power from 2018 to 2022, that the area used for coca saw substantial rises.

Per figures published by the administration, a historic 1,764 metric tons of cocaine were seized by government security forces between mid-2022 and recently. Narcotics confiscations have persisted at a elevated rate in this year, government reports indicate.

Gustavo Petro also remarked that for production of the plant to decline, what was necessary was for consumption for cocaine to decrease in the United States and in Europe.

The US on the other hand put the responsibility squarely at the administration, claiming that the leader’s negotiations with various factions — several of whom fund their operations through narcotics trade — had obstructed the battle against illegal substances.

"Ineffective moves to seek deals with criminal networks only exacerbated the situation," a government report presented to Washington legislators declared.

It goes on to praise the "expertise and bravery" of Colombia's security forces in facing gangs.

It then concluded that "the shortcoming of the country to meet its substance regulation commitments over the previous year rests entirely with its government".

Nevertheless, it leaves the option to re-evaluating Colombia if its government "implements stronger measures to remove coca and decrease cocaine output and distribution".

And while the language coming out of Washington has upset President Petro, his government will also be thankful that the labeling did not result in a cut of the US aid flow, commentators note.

Colombia's decertification comes at a moment when the US leader has made the battle against "criminal groups" a priority.

Earlier, he stated that the American armed forces had destroyed an reportedly illegal trafficking boat in open sea in the South Caribbean.

Several individuals were killed in the strike, the president said.

He added the America had gathered confirmation that the boats were owned by narco-terrorist groups but has yet to made that evidence public.