The US military has confirmed that a light plane that crashed Thursday in Maguindanao del Sur, killing all four people onboard, was contracted by the US Department of Defense to provide intelligence support at the request of Philippine allies.

This story has been updated to include a statement from Metrea.  A surveillance plane contracted by the Pentagon crashed in the Philippines on Thursday killing four, including a U.S. Marine, two defense officials confirmed to USNI News.

U.S. Indo-Pacific Command says that one U.S. service member and three defense contractors were killed when a plane contracted by the U.S. military crashed in a rice field in the southern Philippines.