13 men killed by US military boat strikes identified: ‘These were flesh-and-blood people’

All victims of US strikes in eastern Pacific and the Caribbean identified so far came from extremely poor communities

• https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/feb/17/sign-up-for-the-breaking-news-us-email-to-get-newsletter-alerts-direct-to-your-inbox?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_STANDFIRST&utm_campaign=BN22326&utm_content=signup&utm_term=standfirst&utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB">Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email

A five-month investigation has named 13 previously unidentified victims of US attacks on boats allegedly carrying narcotics in a campaign that has killed nearly 200 people in the https://www.theguardian.com/world/caribbean">Caribbean and the eastern Pacific.

It is unclear if the US has ever identified any of its https://www.wola.org/2025/11/us-military-strikes-trump-drugs-caribbean/">194 victims before attacking them, and the names of just three had previously emerged, after https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/02/trump-caribbean-drug-boat-attack-complaint">their families launched https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/27/trump-military-boat-strikes-lawsuit">legal cases against the White House.