US EditionBoat at center of double-tap strike controversy was meeting vessel headed to Suriname, admiral told lawmakers
The US military conducted four strikes on a drug trafficking boat to prevent narcotics reaching the US, sparking bipartisan scrutiny over the legality of targeting survivors.
- On September 2, US forces struck a small boat in an operation targeting alleged drug traffickers, Adm. Frank Bradley, who led Joint Special Operations Command, briefed lawmakers on Thursday.
- Intelligence showed the boat aimed to rendezvous with a larger ship bound for Suriname, but Adm. Frank Bradley said forces could not locate the second vessel; he argued the shipment still risked reaching the United States.
- The boat turned after spotting US aircraft, then was struck four times; the first hit split it, leaving two survivors clinging to a capsized portion, CNN reported on Thursday.
- Bipartisan scrutiny has followed, with the Senate Armed Services Committee promising oversight, while the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the strikes.
- President Donald Trump defended the strike, saying it targeted narcotics "heading to the United States," while Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the boat was "probably headed to Trinidad or some other country in the Caribbean.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Destroyed boat hit with ‘double-tap’ strike wasn’t headed to the U.S.: report
The boat at the center of the “double-tap” controversy that allegedly saw the United States Navy kill two survivors with a second strike, after first destroying their vessel with an initial hit, wasn’t even destined for the U.S, according to a new report. The suspected drug-carrying vessel was blown up Sept. 2 in the Caribbean Sea, near the northern coast of Venezuela. The first strike sank the boat and killed nine people onboard before a second…
Sydney Morning Herald
Boat destroyed by US military not heading to US
Admiral Frank Bradley told lawmakers an alleged drug boat struck four times in September was meeting a vessel bound for Suriname, not heading directly to the United States.
Boaters slain in 'double tap' strike were surrendering — and sailing away from US: reports
New details are emerging about the Trump administration's Sept. 2 strike on a vessel they claimed was trafficking drugs to the United States, which cast serious doubt on the validity of the military target.According to The New York Times, "Multiple people who have seen video of the attacks say the s...
Exclusive: Boat at center of double-tap strike controversy was meeting vessel headed to Suriname, admiral told lawmakers
The alleged drug traffickers killed by the US military in a strike on September 2 were heading to link up with another, larger vessel that was bound for Suriname — a small South American country east of Venezuela – the admiral who oversaw the operation told lawmakers on Thursday according to two sources with direct knowledge of his remarks.
The "drug boat" attacked by the United States, which has been causing controversy in American politics for days, may not have been en route to the US, but to Suriname. CNN reports, citing two sources, that the boat attacked on September 2nd was en route to a larger vessel, whose final destination was Suriname.
The alleged traffickers who were killed by the United States Army on 2 September in the Caribbean were on the way to another larger ship, which followed for Suriname, said the skipper who supervised the operation to US parliamentarians according to two sources. According to information collected by the American forces, the ship was planning to meet with the second ship and transfer drugs to it, according to Admiral Frank Bradley during the meeti…
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