Greens senator demands US condemnation after ‘double-tap’ strike on alleged drug smugglers
The US has admitted to a controversial war tactic that has pushed a Greens senator to demand condemnation from Australia’s top diplomats.
Greens senator David Shoebridge has accused the government of letting the US be “judge, jury and executioner” after the White House said it carried out a “double-tap” strike on suspected Venezuelan drug smugglers in September.
A double-tap is when a second strike follows shortly after an initial strike to maximise losses.
White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt this week confirmed US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth greenlit the strikes but did not tell the admiral overseeing the operation to “kill everybody”.
While Ms Leavitt did say the admiral “worked well within his authority and the law”, the admission has fuelled a fiery debate over the legality of the Trump administration’s “war” on drug running allegedly backed by Venezuela’s regime.
Fronting Senate estimates on Thursday, high-level Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) officials confirmed to Senator Shoebridge that Australia had discussed US strikes with US counterparts.
“Australian officials have had discussions,” DFAT Secretary Jan Adams said.
Pressed on whether those discussion involved an Australian condemnation, she refused to comment on “confidential discussions between government officials”.
Harinder Sidhu, a deputy secretary with DFAT’s international security, legal and consular group, said the department was “obviously watching what these events unfold”.
“But the point I would make on the specific incident you reference is that that is a matter that is under live discussion in the United States, as you’ll be aware from the media reporting and from your own comments,” Ms Sidhu said.
“And … we’re not in a position to comment on what is essentially an ongoing discussion.”
Senator Shoebridge, a fierce critic of US foreign policy, made several more attempts to get a condemnation from both Ms Sidhu and Ms Adams, as well as Foreign Minister Penny Wong who said she could only speak to Australia’s approach to disrupting international drug running.
“My proposition is that international law is enforced by … nation states taking action, whether that is a diplomatic response, a trade response, or another response,” Senator Shoebridge said.
“International law is enforced by states taking action.
“And so far as I can tell, in the face of this gross breach of international law by the Trump administration, the Australian state has taken no action.
“If I’m wrong in that, can you tell me what action Australia has taken in the face of this breach?”
Ms Adams replied that it was important to remember that the facts were not settled and “under active discussion … in the United States”.
“And really it is for the United States to explain the legal basis of its actions,” she said.
“So we’re going to let the United States be judge, jury and executioner?” Senator Shoebridge shot back, prompting Senator Wong to deny that was what Ms Adams had said.
Some 80 people have been killed in US strikes in the Carribean Sea since they started in early September.
The Trump administration has released vision and images of the strikes but not provided proof that the targets were running drugs.
Lawmakers from both major US political parties have expressed concern.
In her comments confirming the double tap this week, Ms Leavitt said the administration had “made it clear that presidentially designated narco-terrorist groups are subject to lethal targeting in accordance with the laws of war”.
Originally published as Greens senator demands US condemnation after ‘double-tap’ strike on alleged drug smugglers
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