Archive · 12 Aug 2026
US Military Killed 153 Civilians in 2025, Pentagon Reports
The Pentagon is the part of the US government that runs the American military.
It keeps count of how many ordinary people, called civilians, are killed or hurt during military missions.
In 2025, the Pentagon says 153 civilians were killed and 243 were wounded by US military operations.
That is a big jump from 2024, when two civilians were killed and two were injured.
The Pentagon says all of those deaths and injuries came from three strikes in Yemen in April 2025.
The US is striking Yemen to try to weaken the Houthi militants, who are backed by Iran.
The US military has also attacked boats in the Eastern Pacific that it says are carrying drugs.
Those strikes have killed more than 200 people since September 2025.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International say the boat strikes are against the law because people were killed without any legal process.
The Pentagon is still checking 15 more incidents in Yemen to see whether civilians were harmed.
The Pentagon assessed that US military operations killed 153 civilians and wounded 243 in 2025, compared with two civilians killed and two injured in 2024.
All 2025 civilian casualties were tied to three US strikes in Yemen in April 2025, which US Central Command assessed "more likely than not" caused civilian harm.
As of February 2026, US Central Command was assessing 15 other incidents in Yemen in response to reports from non-governmental organizations.
The Pentagon report included no civilian casualties from US strikes in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
US strikes on vessels accused of transporting narcotics in the Eastern Pacific have killed more than 200 people since September 2025, with Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International calling them unlawful extrajudicial killings.
- Who
- The Pentagon and US Central Command, President Donald Trump's administration, and civilians in Yemen and the Eastern Pacific.
- What
- US military operations killed 153 civilians and wounded 243 in 2025, with all civilian casualties attributed to three US strikes in Yemen in April 2025.
- When
- 2025; the Yemen strikes occurred in April 2025, and the Pentagon report was current as of February 2026.
- Where
- Yemen, with US military operations also active in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
- Why
- The US military says it aims to degrade the capabilities of Iran-backed Houthi militants, and the Trump administration struck vessels it accused of transporting narcotics.
Rights Groups and Critics
US Administration and Military
Eastern Pacific counter-narcotics strikes
Rights Groups and Critics
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International consider the strikes unlawful extrajudicial killings, and the ACLU calls the administration's assertions "unsubstantiated, fear-mongering claims."
US Administration and Military
The Trump administration strikes vessels it accuses of transporting narcotics in the Eastern Pacific, casting its targets as "narco-terrorists."
Civilian harm in Yemen
Rights Groups and Critics
The Pentagon's own assessment found the three April 2025 strikes in Yemen "more likely than not" resulted in civilian harm, killing 153 civilians and wounding 243.
US Administration and Military
The US military says its strikes are intended to degrade the capabilities of Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen.
- Civilians killed (2025)
- 153
- Civilians wounded (2025)
- 243
- Civilians killed/wounded (2024)
- 2 killed, 2 wounded
- Cause of 2025 casualties
- Three US strikes in Yemen in April 2025
- CENTCOM assessment
- "More likely than not" civilian harm resulted from the three Yemen strikes
- Incidents under review in Yemen
- 15, as of February 2026
- Eastern Pacific counter-narcotics strikes
- Killed more than 200 people since September 2025
- Critics of Eastern Pacific strikes
- Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, American Civil Liberties Union