US Strike Kills Tren de Aragua Leader in Venezuela

President Donald Trump announced Friday that US forces conducted an airstrike that killed Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as Niño Guerrero, the longtime leader of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. The operation, carried out earlier in the week by US Southern Command, targeted a site in Venezuela's southeastern Bolivar state and received direct support from Venezuelan authorities.

Trump described the action on Truth Social as a swift and lethal kinetic strike executed at his direction. He noted close coordination with Venezuelan officials, stating the two countries are working well together. Venezuelan government statements confirmed participation in the joint effort, reporting that Guerrero died amid clashes with criminal groups during the operation.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted that the strike hit a Tren de Aragua location and confirmed Guerrero's death. The Venezuelan information ministry added that the mission relied on specialized technology and intelligence shared between the two nations. Footage released by Trump showed an explosion destroying a green building and nearby shed.

Tren de Aragua began in Venezuela's Aragua state prison system. Under Guerrero's control starting around 2014 at Tocorón prison, the group grew from extorting inmates and bribing guards into a transnational network managing drug corridors, gold mines, and border crossings. The gang expanded to roughly 7,000 members across South America and into the United States, engaging in drug trafficking, human smuggling, and other crimes. US authorities had designated it a foreign terrorist organization.

The strike follows the January seizure of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who faced charges in New York linked to gang activities. Guerrero was named a co-conspirator in that case. Since Maduro's removal, the US has pursued improved relations with his successor, Delcy Rodríguez, including eased sanctions and cooperation on oil resources.

Past conditions in Venezuelan prisons allowed figures like Guerrero to operate with minimal interference, turning facilities into hubs for organizing larger criminal enterprises. The current operation reflects a shift toward direct pressure on such networks through combined military and intelligence efforts rather than containment alone. Venezuelan officials described the outcome as the neutralization of a key figure in ongoing clashes with criminal elements.