The United States has once again signalled that it is willing to reach across borders to take out those it considers its enemies. After the killing of Osama bin Laden, President Donald Trump now says his forces have eliminated another high-value target — this time in Venezuela. In a lethal military operation, the US military killed Niño Guerrero, the leader of the notorious criminal organisation known as Tren de Aragua.
An Operation Ordered From the Top
According to Trump, the entire action was carried out on his direct instruction and executed by US Southern Command. The President shared a video of the strike on his social media platform Truth Social. In the clip, a powerful blast can be seen tearing through the roof of a building, and within seconds the entire area is swallowed up in smoke and debris.
In his statement, Trump wrote that on his orders, Southern Command launched a swift and deadly strike to eliminate Guerrero, describing Tren de Aragua as one of the most fearsome terrorist outfits in the world.
“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
Tied to a Campaign Promise
Trump linked the strike directly to his election pledge, saying he had promised to bring to justice the criminals who killed American citizens — and that promise was now being kept. In blunt terms, he declared, “We will find these murderers and drug lords anywhere in the world and send them to the depths of hell.”
A Swipe at Biden
In the same statement, Trump took sharp aim at former President Joe Biden. He accused the Biden administration of throwing open the country's southern border, which he said allowed millions of illegal criminals to pour into the United States. Trump claims that members of Tren de Aragua have entered the US and been involved in murder, violence and a string of other serious crimes.
The Murders Trump Was Recalling
To drive his point home, Trump singled out two names — 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray and 22-year-old Laken Riley. He said the killings of both had shaken the entire nation. According to reports, in the 2024 murder of 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungaray, a resident of Houston, two people who had entered the US illegally from Venezuela were arrested. In the case of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia, a man said to have entered the US illegally was charged with her murder.
A Joint Effort With Allies in Venezuela
Trump also claimed that the operation was carried out in coordination with US allies inside Venezuela. He warned that there is now no safe haven left for Tren de Aragua's members — neither in Venezuela nor anywhere else in the world. Notably, Trump has already designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organisation. He says his administration has expelled thousands of criminals from the country and is waging an all-out war against the drug cartels.
