The Guardian published a report on May 15, 2026, identifying 13 of the people killed in Operation Southern Spear strikes, in addition to three already publicly named individuals. The investigation found no evidence of drug trafficking involvement for any of the 16 identified people, with governments and families of victims stating that many of the dead were civilians, described as ‘primarily fishers.’ The U.S. government had not publicly identified any person it had killed, had not produced after-action drug or weapons evidence, and had not opened any victim notification or remains-return process.
Guardian Identifies 13 Victims; No Drug Evidence Found