Department of War Disputes Second Attack on Boat Strike Survivors Was a “Double-Tap”

US Military Pushes Back on Label of 'Double Tap' in Attack that Killed Survivors of Boat Strike.

The US military has pushed back on allegations that Admiral Frank Bradley ordered a "double tap" attack when the US military conducted a second strike killing survivors of a boat attack in the Caribbean on September 2. The follow-up strike, which killed people clinging to the wreckage, is described as a "double-tap," which refers to a follow-on strike to kill rescuers or first responders.

In response to questions from The Intercept, Col. Allie Weiskopf, a Special Operations Command spokesperson said that Admiral Bradley does not see his actions on September 2 as a 'double tap'.

The US military has carried out 21 known attacks in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since September, killing at least 83 civilians. The strikes are considered to be "summary executions" and are illegal under international law because they involve deliberately targeting people who do not pose an imminent threat.

The Pentagon's Law of War Manual states that "persons who have been incapacitated by wounds, sickness, or shipwreck are in a helpless state, and it would be dishonorable and inhumane to make them the object of attack." The US military has repeatedly said that its actions in the Caribbean were taken in accordance with international law.

However, experts and lawmakers say that the strikes are tantamount to murder. "Quibbling over the semantics of 'double-tap' doesn't change the reality that the strike was a summary execution of men clinging to the remains of a boat," said Sarah Harrison, who advised Pentagon policymakers on issues related to human rights and the law of war in her former role as associate general counsel at the Pentagon's Office of General Counsel, International Affairs.

The Pentagon has faced widespread criticism for its actions in the Caribbean. The Department of State has warned American citizens not to travel to the region, citing the risk of pirate attacks. The US military has also come under fire from lawmakers and human rights groups over its handling of the situation.

I don’t usually comment but I have to say that this whole "double tap" thing is kinda mind-blowing . Like, who thought it was okay to order a second strike just to kill people trying to save others? It sounds like some kind of war crime scenario and it's wild that they're quibbling over the semantics instead of taking responsibility for what happened.

And honestly, I don't get why we need all these fancy laws of war manuals and stuff. Can't we just try to treat each other with basic human dignity in this world? 21 known attacks in the Caribbean since September is a lot and it's not cool that civilians are getting caught in the crossfire.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, yeah, let's not get too caught up in semantics here. Let's focus on making sure this kind of thing never happens again .

this is so messed up... a double tap is just a fancy way of saying they deliberately targeted survivors in distress like what even is the point of that? these people were already in a helpless state, clinging to wreckage it's not even about who's imminent threat, it's about basic human decency and respect for life and yeah, let's get real, if you call it a "double tap", we all know what that means just another example of the military thinking they're above the law

man this is getting crazy... like they're trying to spin it so bad "double tap" vs "summary execution"... who cares what it's called when innocent people get killed? these strikes are straight up barbaric and we need to hold our gov accountable for this

the word "double tap" is just a fancy way of saying someone's getting killed twice , doesn't matter what label you put on it. it's all about lives lost & innocent people caught in the crossfire. we should be worried about accountability, not semantics

I'm still trying to process what's happening in the Caribbean... I've been following this story for a while now . It's just hard to wrap your head around how these attacks are being justified by the US military. The whole 'double tap' thing is just a fancy way of saying 'we're going to kill people who can't even defend themselves', you know? . And the fact that they're trying to downplay it now is just frustrating. I mean, we've seen all these videos of people dying on live camera and it's hard to imagine how anyone could think this is okay . The US military's Law of War Manual is pretty clear on this stuff, so what's going on here? Is everyone just turning a blind eye?

So yeah, like I'm no expert but it's clear that the US military is trying to justify some pretty questionable actions here . A "double tap" might seem like a minor semantic quibble to some, but when you're talking about killing people who are already injured and clinging to the wreckage of their boat... it's just wrong . I mean, come on, if they didn't want to harm these people, they shouldn't have carried out the second strike in the first place . And let's be real, we all know that "summary executions" are basically a nice way of saying "murder" . I don't buy the whole "following international law" thing either - if it doesn't align with human rights and the law of war, then it's not worth doing . The Pentagon needs to take responsibility for their actions and stop trying to spin this as some kind of minor mistake .

Ugh, can't believe this ... like, what's the point of even having an international law if we're just gonna keep doing whatever we want? I mean, the fact that they're trying to downplay it by saying "double tap" is all semantics, but let's be real, it's a straight-up murder fest . Those people were just trying to survive, clinging to the wreckage... and what did we do? We went in with guns blazing, killing innocent men who didn't even stand a chance .

And don't even get me started on the fact that they're using this "helpless state" loophole to avoid taking responsibility . Like, are we seriously gonna accept that as a valid excuse? Newsflash: if you're alive and trying to save people, you're not in a helpless state! You're doing what needs to be done .

It's just so frustrating when the powers that be try to spin this as some kind of moral ambiguity . We need to hold them accountable for their actions, no matter how fancy the wording gets .

omg this is getting out of hand... they're really trying to spin this as just a "double tap" thing? i mean come on, people were already dying in the sea, now you kill them again because some military folks want to be all extra with their follow-up strikes? and btw, what's with the semantics game? just saying it's a summary execution isn't gonna make it any less messed up. the numbers are crazy too - 83 civs dead and they're still saying it's all "in accordance with international law"?