Trump says US military killed notorious gang leader Niño Guerrero PHOTO / VIDEO

U.S. President Donald Trump said American forces carried out a targeted military strike that killed Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, better known as Niño Guerrero, leader of the Venezuelan criminal organisation Tren de Aragua, in an operation conducted in coordination with Venezuelan authorities.

In a statement posted on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the U.S. Southern Command had conducted a "swift and lethal kinetic strike" against Guerrero, whom Washington has accused of leading one of the region's most notorious transnational criminal groups, Caliber.Az reports.

He described the operation as part of his administration's broader campaign against organised crime and terrorist-designated groups.

Trump used the announcement to criticise former President Joe Biden's immigration policies, arguing that they enabled members of Tren de Aragua to enter the United States. He said the operation delivered justice for victims of crimes linked to the gang and reaffirmed his administration's commitment to pursuing cartel and gang leaders.

The White House and Pentagon did not immediately provide additional details about the strike, including its precise location or timing. However, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth later confirmed that Guerrero had been killed in an operation carried out earlier this week.

According to Trump, the mission was coordinated closely with Venezuelan authorities, reflecting growing security cooperation between Washington and Caracas. Venezuelan officials have acknowledged operations against criminal groups but had not immediately issued a detailed statement on the U.S. role.

The U.S. government has designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organisation and has accused the group of involvement in crimes including drug trafficking, human trafficking, extortion and money laundering. Guerrero had been charged in a federal court in New York with racketeering and other offences linked to the gang's activities.

Originating in Venezuela's Tocorón prison, Tren de Aragua expanded across several Latin American countries and has become a focus of U.S. law-enforcement and national-security efforts. The reported killing of Guerrero marks one of the most significant actions taken against the organisation's leadership to date.

By Aghakazim Guliyev