Boat hit with ‘double-tap’ strike wasn’t headed to the U.S.
The boat at the center of the “double tap” controversy that allegedly saw the US Navy kill two survivors with a second hit, after first destroying its ship with a first hit, was not even destined for the United States, according to a new report.
The ship suspected of carrying drugs exploded on September 2 in the Caribbean Sea, near the northern coast of Venezuela. The first strike sank the boat and killed nine people on board before a second strike, allegedly intended to finish the job, brought the death toll to 11.
Officials say the boat — operated by what the Trump administration called “narcoterrorists” — was smuggling drugs into the United States and posed a threat to Americans. But according to CNN, the crew of that boat planned to transfer the contraband to a larger ship heading southeast along the Atlantic coast to the South American country of Suriname.
Admiral Frank Bradley, who oversaw the deadly strikes, reportedly told lawmakers that U.S. forces were unable to locate the other ship. While it is possible that the larger boat could have delivered drugs to the United States, ships carrying contraband from Suriname tend to head to Europe, while drugs arriving in America by sea are more likely to travel up the Pacific Ocean.
The strikes have come under scrutiny in the past week, with critics questioning the legality of the attack and whether it amounts to a war crime or murder. Some experts have said the so-called “double tap” could violate the law of armed conflict, which prohibits targeting an enemy combatant outside of combat because of injury or surrender.
The family of a Colombian fisherman killed in another strike on September 15 says he was murdered by the US government. In a formal complaint filed this week, his family rejected allegations he was in possession of drugs and insisted the fisherman was just doing his job when his boat was targeted.
President Trump and the Pentagon have defended their actions, saying they are combatting narcoterrorism by killing drug traffickers who contribute to the scourge of overdoses in the United States. Strikes on at least 23 ships have killed around 90 people since early September.
