The purported action would be against international armed conflict law. Washington, USA: The New York Times revealed on Monday that the Pentagon killed eleven people in its first raid on an alleged drug smuggling boat last year by disguising a military aircraft as a civilian aircraft. International laws of armed conflict forbid combatants from “feigning civilian status to fool adversaries…a war crime called ‘perfidy’,” according to the Times, and the purported action would violate these regulations.
In a social media post on September 2, 2025, President Donald Trump announced the US strike and accused the targets of being members of the criminal group Tren de Aragua, “operating under the control of Nicolas Maduro, responsible for mass murder, drug trafficking, sex trafficking and acts of violence and terror.”
According to the Times, the aircraft’s weapons were concealed inside the fuselage rather than being carried under its wings, and it was painted to resemble a civilian aircraft. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave the order for a “double-tap” military operation, which hit the boat twice, according to confirmation from the White House.According to the Times, two survivors of the initial attack later seemed to “wave” at the disguised aircraft while clinging to rubble before the military killed them in a subsequent strike. Since the first boat strike, other identifiable military aircraft, such as MQ-9 Reaper drones, have been employed.
Since last September, at least 30 strikes have resulted in the deaths of at least 107 individuals, with 19 attacks taking place in the Eastern Pacific, six in the Caribbean, and five in unidentified regions. According to The Times, Congress has questioned military officers about perfidy during private briefings, but the secret issue has not yet been discussed in public.
