US used civilian-looking aircraft in deadly drug boat strike, officials say

The US military carried out a deadly strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat coming from Venezuela in early September using a crewed aircraft painted to resemble a civilian plane, according to officials cited by US media.

Officials told the Washington Post that the aircraft carried its weapons internally, leaving no visible armaments during the Sept. 2 operation in the Caribbean, which killed 11 people, including two individuals who survived the initial strike but were later killed in a follow-up attack.

Current and former officials said some Pentagon lawyers questioned whether disguising the aircraft's military status could constitute "perfidy," a war crime under the law of armed conflict that prohibits feigning civilian status to carry out attacks.

"If you arm these aircraft for self-defense purposes, that would not be a violation" told Todd Huntley, a former military lawyer who advised US Special Operations for seven years following 9/11, to the Post, adding "But using it as an offensive platform and relying on its civilian appearance to gain the confidence of the enemy is."

Several officials said the aircraft belongs to a group of crewed US Air Force planes painted with civilian-style markings and used in missions where standard military coloring would be a disadvantage. One official said the aircraft had already been configured to resemble a civilian plane before the Sept. 2 operation and was not altered specifically for the strike.

According to the Post, the use of a civilian-looking aircraft with no visible weapons sparked internal debate among Pentagon officials and raised concerns that a sensitive, classified capability had been exposed in a mission targeting what a former official described as "civilians on a boat who posed no threat."

The Trump administration has argued the strikes are lawful on the grounds that the president has determined the US is engaged in an armed conflict with drug cartels. Legal experts interviewed by the Post disputed that claim, saying drug trafficking does not meet the legal threshold for armed conflict under international law.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and a spokesperson for US Special Operations Command, which conducted the operation, declined to comment, according to the Post.

Meanwhile, the New York Times reported that Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson said the military employs a broad mix of conventional and unconventional aircraft depending on operational needs. She said each aircraft undergoes a thorough procurement and review process to ensure compliance with US law, Defense Department rules and applicable international standards, including the law of armed conflict.

A statement from the White House, issued by spokeswoman Anna Kelly, did not directly address concerns over perfidy but defended the strike as part of an effort ordered by President Donald Trump to target narcotics trafficking and violent cartel activity. Kelly said the operation was carried out in full accordance with the law of armed conflict, the Times reported.

The exact identity of the aircraft remains unclear. While several officials confirmed it did not resemble a typical military plane, they declined to describe its specific design.