US Airstrike Kills Tren de Aragua Leader Niño Guerrero in Venezuela Operation
Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, the long-standing head of the notorious Venezuelan criminal organisation Tren de Aragua, was killed in a US airstrike, President Donald Trump confirmed. Trump stated that the 'swift and lethal kinetic strike' was carried out by the United States Southern Command at his direction.
The US President posted footage purporting to show the airstrike, depicting a green building and an adjacent shed being destroyed. Trump emphasised the operation was 'coordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela'. Venezuelan authorities corroborated their participation in what they termed a 'joint operation'.
Tren de Aragua, designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the Trump administration, has been accused by the US President of engaging in 'irregular warfare'. The group expanded its operations into Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Chile under Guerrero's leadership, diversifying its illicit activities from extorting migrants to sex-trafficking, contract killing, and kidnapping.
The US had previously sought Guerrero's arrest, offering millions for information. In January, US forces seized then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was accused of collaborating with the gang, with Guerrero Flores named as a co-conspirator. Subsequently, the US has fostered ties with Maduro's successor, Delcy Rodríguez, lifting sanctions and pursuing collaboration on oil extraction.
Guerrero had a history of escapes from Venezuelan prisons, notably transforming Tocorón Prison into a complex featuring a zoo and nightclub before his most recent escape during a 2023 military recapture operation. The gang's influence, extending to gold mines, drug corridors, and clandestine border crossings, expanded significantly following Venezuela's 2014 humanitarian and economic emergency.
The US military has conducted dozens of strikes on boats it claims are involved in drug ferrying operations, with over 200 fatalities reported since September. These actions, which the Trump administration asserts are lawful, have drawn criticism and legal questions due to the lack of publicly provided evidence that the targeted vessels were carrying drugs or smugglers, leading some legal experts to suggest potential breaches of international law.
