“Total Whitewash”: New Pentagon Report Claims U.S. Killed No Civilians in Boat Strikes
Government officials told The Intercept the War Department’s latest civilian casualty report was “sickening” and a “joke.” The post “Total Whitewash”: New Pentagon Report Claims U.S. Killed No Civilians in Boat Strikes appeared first on The Intercept .
The Pentagon released its annual report on civilian casualties to Congress on Tuesday, revealing that U.S. attacks likely killed or wounded hundreds of civilians. The report, which covers incidents in Iran, Somalia, Yemen, and the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, is described as a "total whitewash" by one official, who called it "sickening."
Despite the U.S. killing over 120 civilians in boat strikes during the Trump administration, the Pentagon's review found no civilians were killed in these operations. Critics accuse the Pentagon of failing to prevent, mitigate, or track civilian harm, citing the gutting of civilian harm mitigation and response (CHMR) programs after Pete Hegseth took over as War Secretary.
The report found 153 civilians killed and nearly 250 wounded during the 2025 campaign of air and naval strikes in Yemen, a figure called a "lowball" by officials. At least 238 civilians were killed and 467 injured in Yemen according to the Yemen Data Project. Three incidents "likely" harmed civilians, with 15 attacks still under review.
The backlog of investigations, including the ongoing war with Iran, is expected to be vast, with the official likening it to "hundreds of cases for Iran." The report also highlights the reduction of the 10-person civilian harm mitigation team at CENTCOM to just one individual, raising concerns about the Pentagon's ability to handle the growing number of investigations.
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