Trump said that the operation was carried out in close coordination with US' “friends” in Venezuela. | World News
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United States President Donald Trump said on Saturday morning that the US armed forces executed Niño Guerrero, the “infamous leader” of Tren De Aragua, a crime syndicate in Venezuela, which Trump called “one of the most bloodthirsty terrorist organizations on planet Earth”.
Donald Trump earlier designated Tren de Aragua as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. (File Photo/REUTERS) The US President said that Niño Guerrero was killed in a kinetic strike carried out by the United States Southern Command on his orders. He also shared a classified video of the strike in a post on Truth Social, showing a seemingly green rooftop exploding into a cloud of smoke and debris after being hit.
“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,” Trump wrote in a lengthy post on Truth Social.
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The US President sought to attack his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden for opening southern border for to “millions of illegal criminals” following which, he claimed, that members of Tren De Aragua to “rape, maim, and murder American citizens with total impunity”.
Trump said that the killing of the “foreign army's" leader brought retribution for the families of the victims of the violence inflicted by the organisation.
“During my Campaign, I pledged to expel these monsters from our Country, and bring Justice to the families of those they slaughtered, including the precious 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, 22-year-old Laken Reilly, and countless other beautiful souls. With this action, the United States Military has brought retribution for them, their families, and their loved ones,” he wrote.
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Trump said that he designated Tren de Aragua a “foreign terrorist organisation” earlier during his term and highlighted his crackdown on undocumented immigrants, saying that he deported “thousands of evil criminals” and also “waged war" against cartels.
The US President said that the operation was carried out in coordination with their “friends” in Venezuela and that now, the members of Tren de Aragua have no safe haven any longer in Venezuela or anywhere else.
“Early in my Administration, I delivered on my promise to designate Tren de Aragua as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, deport thousands of evil criminals, and wage war against the Cartels, who have long been waging war against our Citizens, while weak leaders left America helpless and defensive,” Trump wrote.
“This action was coordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are working very well. 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 drugs lords anytime, anyplace, and send them to the depths of hell where they belong,” he added.
This action comes after the US forces carried out a major operation in Venezuela in January this year and captured the country's President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who are now facing charges in the US. Later, Maduro's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as interim President of Venezuela and the current government is more or less working in coordination with the Trump administration.
In the post declaring the US strikes on Tren de Aragua, Trump mentioned names of two victims, 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray and 22-year-old Laken Reilly, whom he said were “slaughtered” by the members of the organisation.
In 2024, Jocelyn Nungaray walked into a convenience store in Houston before disappearing. She was found dead in a creek later. Two undocumented men from Venezuela were held on charges of her murder. The girl was strangled to death, according to medical examiner, reported Associated Press. Both the accused were from Venezuela and had entered the US illegally, a spokesperson for US Immigration and Customs Enforcement told CNN.
Laken Reily, 22, a Georgia nursing student at Augusta University, was found dead in 2024 in a forested area near her campus where she had gone for a run, according to a report by the New York Post. A 26-year-old man who was believed to have entered the US illegally was charged for her murder.
Nikita Sharma is a Senior Content Producer with Hindustan Times. She is a Delhi-based digital journalist with five years of experience writing and editing news stories across beats including crime, politics, tech, trends and much more, both national and international. At Hindustan Times, she is part of the news team and focuses on breaking news, keeping a track of what is happening where, and chasing ever-developing news stories. She has a penchant for covering crime, geopolitics, and Indian politics with a keen eye for stories often overlooked in the daily news cycle. At Hindustan Times, she has extensively covered several key events including the US Presidential elections, Air India plane crash, Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, US’ tariff war, and others. As a Delhi aficionado, she particularly enjoys roaming and writing about the national capital — its heritage, food, art and culture, and the many problems that come with it — the pollution, waterlogging, traffic, and more. Nikita did her Bachelor in Journalism and Mass Communication from GGSIPU and started working as a digital journalist in 2021. During her first stint, she covered hyperlocal news at a Delhi-based newsroom, writing and editing stories on builder-buyer conflicts, civic issues such as potholes, waterlogging, lack of facilities at hospitals in Delhi, crippling of the city during peak monsoon season. She also wrote features covering Delhi’s art exhibitions, heritage walks, artist profiles, museums, classical Hindustani music concerts and dance shows. She entered mainstream news in 2023 and has previously worked at NDTV. Read More
