A double tap is originally a shooting technique where two shots are fired in rapid succession at the same target. More recently it has expanded to refer to the practice of following a strike, e.g., a missile, air strikes, artillery shelling or improvised explosive device attack with a second strike several minutes later, hitting emergency responders and medical personnel rushing to the site.[1][2][3][4] A Florida Law Review article argued that the practice likely is a war crime since it grossly violates the Geneva Conventions of 1949, which prohibit targeting civilians, the wounded, or those no longer able to continue fighting.[5]
While the practice is not new,[citation needed] the double-tap strikes became easier to execute with introduction of the drone warfare and, along with signature strikes, became the subject of debate during the US war in Afghanistan.[6] Double-tap strikes have been used by Saudi Arabia during its military intervention in Yemen,[7][8] by the United States in Pakistan and Yemen,[9][10][11] by Israel in Gaza in 2014[12] and also during Israel-Hamas war in 2024,[13] by Russia and the Syrian government in the Syrian civil war[14][15] and by Russia and Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian War, especially in the full-scale invasion in 2022.[16][17]
References
edit- ^ "Double Tap Strikes: Deliberate Attacks on First Responders in Syria and Yemen – Defenders for Medical Impartiality". defendmedicalimpartiality.org. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
- ^ Woods, Chris; Yusufzai, Mushtaq (August 1, 2013). "Drone strikes in Pakistan -- Get the Data: The return of double-tap drone strikes". The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Archived from the original on 7 August 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ^ Julian Thompson; Marius Rehn; Hans Morten Lossius; David Lockey (24 September 2014). "Risks to emergency medical responders at terrorist incidents: a narrative review of the medical literature". Critical Care. 18 (5): 521. doi:10.1186/s13054-014-0521-1. PMC 4422304. PMID 25323086.
- ^ "Secondary Devices a Primary Concern | Office of Justice Programs". www.ojp.gov. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
- ^ Alexander, Samuel (2018-02-21). "Double-Tap Warfare: Should President Obama Be Investigated for War Crimes?". Florida Law Review. 69 (1): 261. ISSN 1045-4241.
- ^ Grieco, Ikenberry & Mastanduno 2022, pp. 303−304.
- ^ Dehghan, Saeed (16 September 2016). "'After an hour the plane came back': repeated airstrikes take toll on Yemeni civilians". theguardian.com.
- ^ "The Human Rights Abuses in Yemen's "Forgotten War"". Time. 2016-10-12. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
- ^ Taylor, Jerome (2012-09-25). "Outrage at CIA's deadly 'double tap' drone". London: Independent. Retrieved 2013-05-25.
- ^ Friedersdorf, Conor (2013-10-24). "Drone Attacks at Funerals of People Killed in Drone Strikes". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
- ^ "Drones kill rescuers in 'double tap', say activists". BBC News. 2013-10-22. Retrieved 2021-02-21.
- ^ Bachmann, Jutta; Baldwin-Ragaven, Laurel; Hougen, Hans-Petter; Leaning, Jennifer; Kelly, Karen; Özkalipci, Önder; Reynolds, Louis; Vacas, Alicia (January 20, 2015). "Gaza 2014 - Findings of an Independent Medical Fact-Finding Mission" (PDF). Physicians for Human Rights Israel. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- ^ Mellen, Riley (2024-07-14). "Israel Struck Twice in Its Attack on Al-Mawasi, Videos and Photos Show". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-15.
- ^ "Idlib 'double tap' air strikes: Who's to blame?". BBC News. Retrieved 2019-08-31.
- ^ Parker, Claire (2022-07-22). "Russia and Syria conducted dozens of illegal 'double tap' strikes, report says". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
- ^ Epstein, Jake. "Russia is bombing the same targets moments apart to kill Ukrainian rescue crews that arrive to save survivors". Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-08-08.
- ^ "Attacks in Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions leave 28 dead, Moscow-appointed officials say". AP News. 2024-06-08. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
He said Ukrainian forces had 'deliberately made a repeat strike to create greater numbers of casualties' when 'residents of nearby houses ran out to help the injured.'
Sources
edit- Grieco, J.; Ikenberry, G.J.; Mastanduno, M. (2022). Introduction to International Relations: Perspectives, Connections and Enduring Questions. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-350-93374-3. Retrieved 2024-06-23.