Nelson Morales

US disguised military aircraft used in boat strikes: report

Article (news)

boatstrike

Agence France-Presse

<p>WASHINGTON - The Pentagon disguised a military aircraft as a civilian plane to wage its first attack on an alleged drug smuggling boat last year, killing 11, the New York Times reported Monday.</p><p>The alleged move would be in violation of international laws of armed conflict, which prohibit combatants from &quot;feigning civilian status to fool adversaries...a war crime called &#x27;perfidy&#x27;,&quot; the Times reported.</p><p>The US strike was announced by President Donald Trump in a September 2, 2025 social media post that charged the targets were members of the Tren de Aragua criminal organization &quot;operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking and acts of violence and terror.&quot;</p><p>The aircraft was painted to look like a civilian plane, and its munitions were hidden inside the fuselage instead of being carried visibly under its wings, the Times reported.</p><p>The White House has confirmed that a US admiral acting under the authority of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered a &quot;double-tap&quot; military operation, striking the boat twice.</p><p>&quot;Two survivors of the initial attack later appeared to wave&quot; at the disguised aircraft while clinging to wreckage before the military killed them in a follow-up strike, the Times reported.</p><p>Other recognizably military aircraft, including MQ-9 Reaper drones, have been used in the boat strikes since the first one.</p><p>At least 107 people have been killed in at least 30 strikes since last September, with 19 attacks in the Eastern Pacific, six in the Caribbean, and five in unknown locations.</p><p>The Times reported that questions about perfidy have been raised by Congress during closed-door briefings with military leaders, but there have not yet been public discussions on the classified matter.</p><p>sla/jgc</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eE28duVnuiY?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>The Pentagon disguised a military aircraft as a civilian plane to wage its first attack on an alleged drug smuggling boat last year, killing 11, the New York Times reported Monday.</p>

The Pentagon disguised a military aircraft as a civilian plane to wage its first attack on an alleged drug smuggling boat last year, killing 11, the New York Times reported Monday.