Trump confirms killing of Tren de Aragua gang leader Guerrero Flores in lethal US military strikes

US President
Donald Trump said late Friday that the country’s Southern Command (Southcom) has launched lethal strikes, killing the leader of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. A “swift and lethal kinetic strike” killed Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, also known as Niño Guerrero, the American leader wrote on his social media platform TruthSocial.

It is pertinent to note that Tren de Aragua was designated as a US terror organisation last year. “This action was coordinated closely with our friends in
Venezuela, with whom we are working very well,” Trump’s post reads. “As a result, Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else and, under my leadership, we will find these vicious murderers and drug lords anytime, anyplace, and send them to the depths of hell where they belong.”

“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

Trump also shared a post, which included a video showing a building exploding and being engulfed in flames and smoke. He went on to slam his predecessor
Joe Biden, claiming that the former president “allowed this foreign army to rape, maim, and murder American Citizens with total impunity.” In the past, American presidents have blamed Tren de Aragua for the killings of Americans
Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray.

About Guerrero Flores

In December last year, the Venezuelan gang leader was charged in a New York federal court with racketeering conspiracy and other crimes that stretched for more than a decade, the Associated Press reported. The
US State Department at the time offered a reward of up to $5 million for his arrest.

Last month, the American government sanctioned Guerrero Flores and five other key
Tren de Aragua leaders and affiliates, citing involvement in various criminal activities.

Meanwhile, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth also lauded the American operation. “Earlier this week, the @DeptofWar — in full collaboration with Venezuelan security forces — conducted a kinetic strike on a Tren de Aragua (TdA) compound in Venezuela. TdA founder & leader Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, aka “Niño Guerrero,” was confirmed killed during the strike,” he wrote in his post on X.

Earlier this week, the @DeptofWar — in full collaboration with Venezuelan security forces — conducted a kinetic strike on a Tren de Aragua (TdA) compound in Venezuela. TdA founder & leader Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, aka “Niño Guerrero,” was confirmed killed during the…

— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) June 13, 2026

“The operation underscores the shared U.S. and Venezuelan commitment to take the fight to narco-terrorists and deny them any safe haven in our hemisphere. We will continue to work closely with security partners, like Venezuela — and countries in the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition (A3C) partners — to take the fight to our enemies,” he furthered.