U.S. Military Strike Targets Tren de Aragua Leader

U.S. Military Strike Targets Tren de Aragua Leader

President Donald Trump announced that U.S. forces executed a kinetic strike against Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias Niño Guerrero, the leader of Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang. Trump stated the operation, conducted under the direction of U.S. Southern Command, successfully neutralized Guerrero, a key figure in one of the country’s most notorious criminal networks.
Pentagon official Pete Hegseth confirmed Guerrero’s death, noting the strike occurred earlier in the week. The Venezuelan government’s information ministry corroborated the action, reporting clashes during the operation that resulted in the leader’s elimination. The mission involved advanced technical coordination between U.S. and Venezuelan authorities.
Tren de Aragua has been designated a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department due to its involvement in drug trafficking, human trafficking, and money laundering. Trump emphasized the group’s alleged ties to Venezuelan authorities under President Nicolás Maduro, a claim used to justify deportations to El Salvador.
The gang’s operations span South America, linking to extortion, kidnapping, and transnational crime syndicates from Panama to Brazil. Police report Guerrero escaped a 2023 prison raid but was intercepted in this recent strike.

Source link