Trump’s boat bombings: How the US has long used ‘double-tap’ strikes

Al JazeeraCenterEN 6 min read 100% complete by Sarah ShamimDecember 2, 2025 at 02:51 PM

AI Summary

long article 6 min

In September 2025, the US military conducted a double-tap strike on a boat in the Caribbean suspected of drug trafficking, killing nine people in the initial strike and two survivors in a subsequent strike authorized by Admiral Frank Bradley. The White House defended Bradley's actions, stating he acted within his authority. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has denied issuing a directive to "kill everybody" on the boat. Double-tap strikes, involving a second strike on the same target, have been used by the US in the past, including a 2025 air strike on the Ras Isa oil port in Yemen, with the stated objective of degrading the Houthis' economic power. The US military campaign in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific has killed over 80 people across 21 boats suspected of trafficking drugs.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Frank Bradley ×270% Pete Hegseth ×480% United States ×6100%

Keywords

double-tap strike 100% us military 80% drug trafficking 70% venezuelan boat 70% military campaign 60% admiral frank bradley 50% pete hegseth 50% yemen 40% air strikes 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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double-tap strike us military drug trafficking venezuelan boat military campaign admiral frank bradley pete hegseth yemen air strikes

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