Trump says US military strike killed leader of Tren de Aragua gang with help from Venezuela

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Trump says US military strike in Venezuela killed notorious gang leader Niño Guerrero: Video

Guerrero Flores was charged in a New York federal court with racketeering conspiracy and other crimes.

3 min readJun 13, 2026 12:02 PM IST

First published on: Jun 13, 2026 at 07:55 AM IST

US conducted a strike that killed the leader of Tren de Aragua, in Venezuela. (Screengrab/X/@WhiteHouse)

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that American forces carried out a strike that killed Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as “Niño Guerrero”, the leader of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

“At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

He said the operation was coordinated with partners in Venezuela and added that the group now has “no safe haven… anywhere else”. Venezuelan authorities did not immediately comment.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strike took place earlier this week and that Guerrero was “confirmed killed during the strike”.

What did Trump say?

Trump described the operation as a “swift and lethal” strike and said it was carried out under his orders.

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“At my direction… the strike successfully executed Niño Guerrero,” he said, calling the gang “one of the most bloodthirsty” organisations.

pic.twitter.com/w3TXgWOWL1

— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) June 13, 2026

He also said the United States would continue to pursue such groups, adding: “We will find these… criminals anytime, anyplace.”

What do we know about the strike?

Trump said the strike was conducted by US Southern Command but did not provide details on the exact location.

“At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero, the infamous leader of Tren De Aragua, one of the most bloodthirsty Terrorist Organizations on Planet Earth.” – President DONALD J. TRUMP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/3R5IPxhPXX

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 13, 2026

Officials said the operation took place earlier in the week. There was no immediate confirmation or response from Venezuela’s information ministry.

Who was Niño Guerrero?

Guerrero was the leader of Tren de Aragua, a criminal group that began inside a Venezuelan prison and later expanded across Latin America.

He is believed to have played a central role in turning the group into a cross-border network.

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He escaped from Tocorón prison in 2023 shortly before a major police raid.

What is Tren de Aragua?

Tren de Aragua started as a prison gang in Venezuela and later spread into several countries in South America.

Authorities link the group to crimes including human trafficking, drug smuggling, kidnapping and money laundering. The United States has designated it a foreign terrorist organisation.

Why had the US targeted him?

The Trump administration had imposed sanctions on Guerrero and other leaders over alleged links to organised crime.

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US officials have also accused the group of operating across borders and influencing migration routes in the region.

Trump has claimed the gang had links with the Venezuelan government, though this remains disputed. It is not clear how the killing will affect the group’s operations.

Security experts say such organisations often continue functioning even after losing key leaders, due to their wide networks. There has been no official response from Venezuela so far.

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