US President Donald Trump. [Reuters]
US President Donald Trump. [Reuters]

By Park Hye-won, The Herald Business

US President Donald Trump announced that American forces had killed the leader of Tren de Aragua (TdA), a major Venezuelan criminal organization.

Trump said Friday on Truth Social that "US Southern Command successfully eliminated Nino Guerrero of Tren de Aragua — one of the most savage terrorist organizations on the planet — through a swift and lethal military strike," according to AFP.

He also released aerial photographs showing a building exploding after the US military strike.

"Tren de Aragua members will no longer have a safe haven anywhere, including Venezuela," Trump said.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed on X, formerly Twitter, that Guerrero was killed in a strike on the gang's base of operations inside Venezuela.

Tren de Aragua expanded from Venezuela across Latin America and is believed to have infiltrated the United States through human trafficking and illegal immigration networks.

Last year, Trump designated Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), and the US government placed a $5 million (about 7.6 billion won) bounty on Guerrero's head.

Trump added that "this operation succeeded through close cooperation with Venezuela." Local observers said the operation reflected strengthened ties between the US and Venezuela following the ouster of the Nicolas Maduro government.


klee@heraldcorp.com