US Airstrike Survivors Left to Struggle in Wreckage Before Second Deadly Attack, Video Reveals
In a shocking and disturbing video released on Thursday, the US military was seen to have deliberately targeted two survivors of an airstrike on a suspected drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean. The footage shows the two men clinging to the wreckage for over an hour before being killed in a second attack.
The incident highlights the extreme brutality with which the US military has been operating in the region, targeting not just those directly involved in alleged crimes but also survivors who are left helpless and defenseless. The video contradicts official claims that all individuals on board were "bad guys" engaged in active combat activities.
According to sources familiar with the recording, the two men who survived the initial airstrike were shirtless, unarmed, and carried no visible radio or communications equipment. They appeared to have no idea what had hit them or that the US military was weighing whether to finish them off.
In a disturbing display of callousness, the survivors desperately tried to turn a severed section of the hull upright before they died. One source described the scene as "one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service." The attack began with an airburst munition exploding above the vessel and killing nine crew members.
The US military has struggled to provide clear justification for its actions, with some officials claiming that the US is at war with drug traffickers and that such strikes are legal under the rules of war. However, most legal experts reject this rationale, arguing that it is unlawful to kill individuals who are incapacitated or shipwrecked.
Critics argue that the strikes themselves constitute potential war crimes, even before the killing of survivors. "What's the next step? There's somebody committing a street crime, or you claim they're committing a street crime in a United States city, and then you can unleash the military on them without judicial evidence," said Marcus Stanley, director of studies at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.
The incident has sparked growing concern that the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and other officials who ordered the attack may have committed war crimes. The video was seen by senators behind closed doors amid a wider debate about the legal basis for the campaign to kill suspected drug smugglers.
In a shocking and disturbing video released on Thursday, the US military was seen to have deliberately targeted two survivors of an airstrike on a suspected drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean. The footage shows the two men clinging to the wreckage for over an hour before being killed in a second attack.
The incident highlights the extreme brutality with which the US military has been operating in the region, targeting not just those directly involved in alleged crimes but also survivors who are left helpless and defenseless. The video contradicts official claims that all individuals on board were "bad guys" engaged in active combat activities.
According to sources familiar with the recording, the two men who survived the initial airstrike were shirtless, unarmed, and carried no visible radio or communications equipment. They appeared to have no idea what had hit them or that the US military was weighing whether to finish them off.
In a disturbing display of callousness, the survivors desperately tried to turn a severed section of the hull upright before they died. One source described the scene as "one of the most troubling things I've seen in my time in public service." The attack began with an airburst munition exploding above the vessel and killing nine crew members.
The US military has struggled to provide clear justification for its actions, with some officials claiming that the US is at war with drug traffickers and that such strikes are legal under the rules of war. However, most legal experts reject this rationale, arguing that it is unlawful to kill individuals who are incapacitated or shipwrecked.
Critics argue that the strikes themselves constitute potential war crimes, even before the killing of survivors. "What's the next step? There's somebody committing a street crime, or you claim they're committing a street crime in a United States city, and then you can unleash the military on them without judicial evidence," said Marcus Stanley, director of studies at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.
The incident has sparked growing concern that the US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and other officials who ordered the attack may have committed war crimes. The video was seen by senators behind closed doors amid a wider debate about the legal basis for the campaign to kill suspected drug smugglers.
! You can't just finish off people who are already hurt and can't even defend themselves 
. They're just two guys trying to survive after being hit by a plane, not even fighting back. This shows the real face of war - not some heroic soldier's story 
.
the whole thing reeks of callousness and a complete disregard for human life. I mean, these guys were basically left to die in the wreckage before this second attack - that's a war crime just waiting to happen 
it's hard to understand the justification behind this airstrike, especially since the guys were shirtless and unarmed 
then I started thinking about how some humans can be so calm when they're in an emergency situation... like that guy who just stood there in the wreckage before he got killed... was he even scared? 
anyway, this airstrike thing is super messed up and it makes me wonder if we should just stick to video games where everyone dies instantly instead of real life 
this is wild... you can't make this stuff up. i mean, survivors are still trying to process what's happening and then they get killed again? it's just brutal. no one deserves that kind of treatment. and what really gets me is the US military saying they're at war with drug traffickers but really they're just picking off random people who happen to be in the wrong place. it's like a real-life video game where you can just kill anyone you want without consequences. 
this is just getting crazier... I mean, what's next? You're trying to kill people after they've already survived an airstrike? It's like they expect them to just get back up and keep fighting 
. I'm starting to think that there's more to this story than meets the eye 
. Maybe we're not seeing the whole picture here 
. And what about those two survivors who were just left to die in the wreckage? That's just messed up 
.
that's not how war works and it's definitely not how we treat our own citizens. can't they just apprehend these people without killing them first? this whole thing feels like a game of "target practice" to me and I'm not okay with it 
like how do you even process that? i mean we're lucky here just taking a selfie and we get shot... those two guys were just trying to survive lol. the fact that they tried to turn up the hull is so sad, it's like they were trying to find some hope in all that chaos 
. anyway, one thing for sure: the US military needs to get their act together and stop being so extra 
i feel like we're living in some kind of dystopian movie where the bad guys are just everyone else... 
We need to start having some real conversations about what constitutes 'war' and how we hold those in power accountable for their actions. 