Tren de Aragua Leader Niño Guerrero Killed In US Airstrike

The United States military has killed Niño Guerrero, the head of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, in an airstrike.

Guerrero, whose legal name is Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, had led Tren de Aragua for many years. The organisation is regarded as one of Latin America’s most feared criminal networks and had been under sustained pressure from the Trump administration.

"At my direction, the United States Southern Command delivered a swift and lethal kinetic strike to successfully execute Niño Guerrero," Trump wrote on social media.

Trump has alleged that Tren de Aragua was carrying out irregular warfare against the United States, and his administration had designated the gang as a foreign terrorist organisation.

He also shared video said to show the strike. The footage appeared to capture a green structure and a nearby shed being destroyed, with debris thrown into the air. Trump said the operation had been closely coordinated with Venezuela.

Venezuelan officials confirmed they took part, describing the action as a joint operation.

In January, US forces captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro at his compound during an overnight raid so he could face criminal charges in New York. American prosecutors accused him of working with the gang, and the indictment listed Guerrero Flores as a co-conspirator.