# US‑Venezuela operation against Tren de Aragua > Live situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/us-strike-on-tren-de-aragua-leader > Updated: 2026-06-23T10:00:26.000Z. Sources: 337. Developments: 24. In early June 2026 the United States and Venezuela carried out a coordinated kinetic strike in the Bolívar mining region that killed Héctor Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as “Niño Guerrero,” the founder and leader of the transnational criminal network Tren de Aragua. President Donald Trump framed the action on Truth Social as a swift, lethal response against a designated foreign terrorist organization, and Venezuelan officials confirmed it as a joint effort involving intelligence and technical support. Chile’s security ministry hailed the killing as a major blow to the gang and noted its own crackdown on related money‑laundering cells. Subsequent U.S. statements presented the strike as part of a broader counter‑terrorism campaign, while analysts warned that eliminating a single leader would not dissolve Tren de Aragua. Venezuelan authorities declared the gang expelled from the country, warning that displaced members could move toward Brazil’s northern border. U.S. agencies kept bounty programs active and identified potential successors, such as “El Viejo” in Colombia, underscoring the network’s resilience. The episode marked the first U.S. airstrike against a designated terrorist group in the Western Hemisphere and sparked debate over regional security, illegal gold mining in Bolívar, and the precedent of direct U.S. military action on Venezuelan soil. A video posted by Trump on 9 June showed aerial footage of a large explosion in Las Claritas on the edge of the Orinoco Mining Arc, though Venezuelan authorities had not yet confirmed Guerrero Flores’s death and many operational details remained opaque. **As of 11 July 2026, no further operational developments have been reported.** ## Timeline ### 2026-06-23: US strike kills Tren de Aragua leader in Venezuela's mining region A US‑backed strike on 9 June in Venezuela’s Las Claritas killed (or targeted) gang leader Héctor Guerrero Flores, spotlighting the Orinoco Mining Arc and U.S. mining ambitions. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-strike-kills-tren-de-aragua-leader-in-venezuelas-mining-region ### 2026-06-21: Venezuela declares Tren de Aragua gang expelled following US‑backed kill of leader Venezuela's interior minister says the Tren de Aragua gang has been expelled after a US‑backed raid killed its leader Héctor Guerrero in Bolívar, following new mining law approval. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/venezuela-declares-tren-de-aragua-gang-expelled-following-usbacked-kill-of-leader ### 2026-06-19: Venezuelan gang leader ‘Niño Guerrero’ killed in US‑backed Bolívar raid Venezuelan gang leader ‘Niño Guerrero’ was killed in a U.S.-backed raid in Bolívar, sparking miner displacement and weakening the Tren de Aragua’s cross‑border criminal network. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/venezuelan-gang-leader-nio-guerrero-killed-in-usbacked-bolvar-raid ### 2026-06-18: Venezuela says Tren de Aragua dismantled after leader 'Niño Guerrero' killed Venezuelan officials say the Tren de Aragua gang has been expelled after a US‑Venezuela raid killed its leader Héctor Guerrero, alias “Niño Guerrero.” 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/venezuela-says-tren-de-aragua-dismantled-after-leader-nio-guerrero-killed ### 2026-06-17: U.S. drone strike kills Tren de Aragua leader in Bolívar, Venezuela A U.S. drone strike on June 12, 2026 in Bolívar, Venezuela killed Tren de Aragua leader “Niño Guerrero,” marking the first U.S. target‑of‑terror‑organization kill in the Western Hemisphere and sparking debate – 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-drone-strike-kills-tren-de-aragua-leader-in-bolvar-venezuela ### 2026-06-16: Tren de Aragua leader's death sparks succession scramble and US bounty hunt The death of Tren de Aragua boss “Niño Guerrero” in a U.S.–Venezuelan raid fuels a leadership hunt, with Colombia’s “El Viejo” eyed as successor and the FBI adding him to its Ten Most Wanted list. 5 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/venezuelan-gang-leader-hctor-nio-guerrero-flores-killed-in-usvenezuela-operation ### 2026-06-15: Venezuelan gang leader ‘Niño Guerrero’ killed in US‑Venezuela joint operation Venezuelan gang boss ‘Niño Guerrero’ was killed in a US‑Venezuela joint raid, prompting fears of Tren de Aragua members moving into Brazil’s Roraima border region. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/venezuelan-cartel-leader-nio-guerrero-killed-in-usvenezuela-raid ### 2026-06-14: Death of 'Niño Guerrero' threatens Tren de Aragua across Latin America U.S. officials say the presumed death of Tren de Aragua leader ‘Niño Guerrero’ warns Latin American crime groups and could spur power struggles and heightened violence, particularly in Chile. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/death-of-nio-guerrero-threatens-tren-de-aragua-across-latin-america ### 2026-06-13: US CIA helps locate Venezuelan drug gang leader “Niño Guerrero” The CIA provided intelligence that led Venezuelan forces to locate and neutralize “Niño Guerrero,” leader of Tren de Aragua, in Bolívar state; the U.S. has labeled the gang a transnational criminal organization 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-cia-helps-locate-venezuelan-drug-gang-leader-nio-guerrero ### 2026-06-13: United States escalates political and military pressure on Venezuela U.S. Senator Marco Rubio's lobbying network shapes policy toward Venezuela’s oil, while President Trump announced a joint U.S.–Venezuelan strike killing Tren de Aragua leader Niño Guerrero. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/united-states-escalates-political-and-military-pressure-on-venezuela ### 2026-06-13: US operation kills Venezuelan Tren de Aragua leader Niño Guerrero The US and Venezuela jointly carried out a strike that killed Tren de Aragua leader Niño Guerrero, calling the operation “quick and lethal” and reinforcing U.S. pressure on the gang. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-operation-kills-venezuelan-tren-de-aragua-leader-nio-guerrero ### 2026-06-13: US strike kills Tren de Aragua gang leader in Venezuela US Southern Command, with Venezuelan forces, killed Tren de Aragua leader Hector Guerrero in a strike, ending a bounty‑targeted criminal network linked to drug and human trafficking across South America. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-strike-kills-tren-de-aragua-gang-leader-in-venezuela ### 2026-06-13: US airstrike in Venezuela kills Tren de Aragua gang leader President Trump announced a US airstrike in Venezuela that killed Tren de Aragua leader Niño Guerrero, marking a new US‑Venezuela joint effort against the gang. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-airstrike-kills-tren-de-aragua-leader-in-venezuela ### 2026-06-13: US military strike kills leader of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua cartel Trump says a US Southern Command strike, coordinated with Venezuela, killed Tren de Aragua leader “Ninja Gerero”, a transnational drug cartel head. 9 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-airstrike-kills-leader-of-venezuelan-drug-cartel-trump-announces ### 2026-06-13: US airstrike in Venezuela kills Tren de Aragua leader Niño Guerrero US forces, with Venezuelan cooperation, carried out an airstrike in Bolívar state that killed Tren de Aragua leader Héctor Guerrero (“Niño Guerrero”), whom President Trump called a terrorist organization head. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-airstrike-in-venezuela-kills-tren-de-aragua-leader-nio-guerrero ### 2026-06-13: US operation kills Tren de Aragua cartel leader Nio Guerrero President Donald Trump said US forces, with Venezuela's cooperation, killed Tren de Aragua leader Nio Guerrero in a Southern Command‑ordered operation, labeling the cartel a foreign terrorist organization. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-operation-kills-tren-de-aragua-cartel-leader-nio-guerrero ### 2026-06-13: U.S. says strike kills Tren de Aragua leader Niño Guerrero in Venezuela President Trump says a U.S. strike in Venezuela killed Tren de Aragua leader Niño Guerrero, a designated foreign terrorist organization. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-says-strike-kills-tren-de-aragua-leader-nio-guerrero-in-venezuela ### 2026-06-13: US Military Strike Kills Leader of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua Gang The US military conducted a kinetic strike that killed Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, leader of Venezuela's Tren de Aragua gang, which the US labels a terrorist organization. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-military-strike-kills-leader-of-venezuelas-tren-de-aragua-gang ### 2026-06-13: Donald Trump says US operation kills Tren de Aragua leader with Venezuelan help Donald Trump announced a U.S. Southern Command strike that killed Tren de Aragua leader Niniyo Guerrero, carried out with Venezuela's cooperation and part of a tougher anti‑drug stance. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/donald-trump-says-us-operation-kills-tren-de-aragua-leader-with-venezuelan-help ### 2026-06-13: US strike kills Tren de Aragua leader in southern Venezuela The US and Venezuela jointly launched a strike in southern Venezuela that killed Nínio Guerrero, leader of the Tren de Aragua gang, which the US calls a terrorist organization. 9 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-airstrike-kills-tren-de-aragua-leader-nio-guerrero ### 2026-06-13: US‑Venezuelan joint operation kills gang leader Héctor “Niño Guerrero” in Bolívar Venezuela and the United States jointly targeted and killed Tren de Aragua leader Héctor “Niño Guerrero” in Bolívar, confirming the gang’s terrorist status. 3 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/usvenezuelan-joint-operation-kills-gang-leader-hctor-nio-guerrero-in-bolvar ### 2026-06-12: US‑Venezuela strike kills Tren de Aragua leader Niño Guerrero US Southern Command, with Venezuelan cooperation, killed Tren de Aragua boss Niño Guerrero in Bolívar state; Trump announced the swift, lethal strike, noting the gang’s terrorist designation and transnational犯罪 279 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/us-military-strike-eliminates-tren-de-aragua-leader-in-venezuela-trump-announces ### 2026-06-12: Chile hails death of Tren de Aragua leader as major blow to criminal network Chile calls the killing of Tren de Aragua leader Héctor Guerrero in Venezuela a major blow, citing recent money‑laundering arrests and continued security cooperation with the U.S. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/chile-hails-death-of-tren-de-aragua-leader-as-major-blow-to-criminal-network ### 2026-06-11: US‑Venezuela joint strike eliminates Tren de Aragua leader Niño Guerrero The US and Venezuela jointly struck in Bolívar state, killing Tren de Aragua leader Niño Guerrero, a criminal figure with a $5 million U.S. bounty. 2 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/usvenezuela-joint-strike-eliminates-tren-de-aragua-leader-nio-guerrero --- Cite as: US‑Venezuela operation against Tren de Aragua. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/us-strike-on-tren-de-aragua-leader