On March 23, 2026, the Ecuadorian ship La Negra Franciscano de Dos was hit by a U.S. military drone strike.
Posted by Behind the Bastards, Checked
- Sources
- 6 contradict2 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 55%
Behind the BastardsOct 3, 2026
Sources support that the Ecuadorian fishing vessel (named La Negra Francisca Duarte II in most reporting) was hit by drone-dropped explosives, but they place the strike on March 17, not March 23; March 23 is when the crew was found. The U.S. role is unconfirmed: HRW says the U.S.
A detail. The sources confirm the gist; the verdict faults a detail such as a date, number or wording.
What was said
… Safcam said that it quote unquote immediately notified the Coast Guard, but it took the Coast Guard almost 45 hours to begin searching the attack zone for survivors. It is believed that the 11 people on these vessels drowned at sea. To end this section, on March 23, 2026, the Ecuadorian ship La Negra Franciscano de Dos, which was coming back from weeks of fishing at sea, was hit by an apparent U.S. Military drone strike, according to N plus Univision. The crew had been forced off of the boat by apparent U.S. Military personnel, although it's unclear from which agency. …
Behind the Bastards · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. Multiple sources date the drone strike on this vessel to March 17, not March 23; the March 23 date is when survivors were found.[1][2][3]
Contradicts. The U.S. Department of Defense and Coast Guard have denied involvement, and the Pentagon has not claimed responsibility for these strikes, so the attribution to a U.S. military drone is unconfirmed.[4][5][6]
Supports. Survivors and reporters describe the Negra Francisca Duarte II being struck by drone-dropped explosives in March 2026, which matches the core event of a drone strike on this vessel.[1][7][8]
Supports. HRW's investigation concludes the U.S. 'had some level of involvement in, or knowledge of,' the attacks, which partly supports the attribution but does not establish a U.S. military drone strike as fact.[8]
Context. The post described the attribution as 'apparent' and attributed it to N plus Univision; the claim drops that hedge and the name appears garbled ('Franciscano de Dos' vs 'Francisca Duarte II').
Sources
8 sources: 8 not rated
- 1Mysterious bomb-dropping drones sank their fishing boats, survivors say. Who was behind the attacks?kq2.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts, supports
- 2Ecuadorian fishermen reported possible U.S. strikes on two vesselsua.news · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 3Ecuador Prosecutor Investigating Boat Attack Allegations Is Fatally Shotmilitary.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 4A Dangerous Partnershipfln.dk · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 5Attacks on Ecuadorian fishers in early 2026 continue to ...seafoodsource.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 6HRW report exposes torture, drone attacks and missing crew in US-Ecuador joint operationsjurist.org · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 7‘Handcuffed and blindfolded': Is the US targeting Ecuadorian fishermen?rocketnews.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 8U.S. involved in fishing boat attacks off Ecuador: HRW reportcp24.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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