Journalists Unmask Victims of US Boat Bombings in Latin America

The report, titled "Bombed, Without the Right to a Defense," challenges the Pentagon’s narrative regarding 57 confirmed maritime attacks. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and US Southern Command have consistently withheld the identities of those killed, effectively erasing them from the public record. Investigative groups, including CLIP and Airwars, compiled the names despite receiving threats and facing intense local fear of retaliation.

Among the identified are Juan Carlos Fuentes, a bus driver struggling to support his family, and Luis Ramón Amundarain, a fisherman and motorcycle taxi driver. These findings contradict claims that the strikes target high-level drug kingpins. Experts, including attorneys from the ACLU and analysts from the International Crisis Group, argue that the administration is operating without a declared armed conflict, rendering these actions extrajudicial killings. Data from US Customs and Border Protection further suggests that these military operations have failed to curb the flow of illicit substances, casting them as a political spectacle rather than an effective counter-narcotics strategy.