US Military's Deadly Strikes on Suspected Drug Smugglers Raise Eyebrows
A harrowing video has emerged of two men who survived a US airstrike on a suspected drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean, clinging to the wreckage for over an hour before being killed in a second deadly attack. The footage, seen by senators behind closed doors, has raised concerns about the legality of the strikes and whether they constitute war crimes.
The victims, shirtless and unarmed, appeared to have no idea what had hit them or that their lives were about to be taken from them. Desperate to stay alive, they tried to turn a severed section of the hull upright, only to fail in their efforts. The video, which lasted for over an hour, shows the two men's faces and bodies as they succumbed to their injuries.
The strikes have been part of a 22-month campaign by the US military to target suspected drug smugglers in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in at least 87 deaths. Critics argue that these strikes are not only unnecessary but also violate international law.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed outrage over the video, with Democrats condemning it as a "troubling" example of excessive force, while Republicans defend the strike as legal. However, most legal experts reject this rationale, arguing that the US is at war with drug traffickers and that such strikes are not covered under the rules of war.
The Trump administration has faced criticism for its handling of the campaign, which has been shrouded in secrecy. The Pentagon has refused to release footage of the follow-up attack that killed the two remaining crew members, sparking concerns about transparency and accountability.
"This is a clear example of the American people's tax dollars being used to perpetuate a war on innocent civilians," said Marcus Stanley, director of studies at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. "The American people should get as much transparency and information here to judge what's being done in their name as possible."
As the debate rages on, one thing is clear: the US military's actions in the Caribbean are raising serious questions about the nature of war and the laws that govern it.
A harrowing video has emerged of two men who survived a US airstrike on a suspected drug smuggling boat in the Caribbean, clinging to the wreckage for over an hour before being killed in a second deadly attack. The footage, seen by senators behind closed doors, has raised concerns about the legality of the strikes and whether they constitute war crimes.
The victims, shirtless and unarmed, appeared to have no idea what had hit them or that their lives were about to be taken from them. Desperate to stay alive, they tried to turn a severed section of the hull upright, only to fail in their efforts. The video, which lasted for over an hour, shows the two men's faces and bodies as they succumbed to their injuries.
The strikes have been part of a 22-month campaign by the US military to target suspected drug smugglers in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean, resulting in at least 87 deaths. Critics argue that these strikes are not only unnecessary but also violate international law.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed outrage over the video, with Democrats condemning it as a "troubling" example of excessive force, while Republicans defend the strike as legal. However, most legal experts reject this rationale, arguing that the US is at war with drug traffickers and that such strikes are not covered under the rules of war.
The Trump administration has faced criticism for its handling of the campaign, which has been shrouded in secrecy. The Pentagon has refused to release footage of the follow-up attack that killed the two remaining crew members, sparking concerns about transparency and accountability.
"This is a clear example of the American people's tax dollars being used to perpetuate a war on innocent civilians," said Marcus Stanley, director of studies at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. "The American people should get as much transparency and information here to judge what's being done in their name as possible."
As the debate rages on, one thing is clear: the US military's actions in the Caribbean are raising serious questions about the nature of war and the laws that govern it.
... Like, how can we even justify taking out these 2 guys who were basically begging for mercy? They're not even armed, just shirtless and trying to stay afloat after their boat gets bombed. And now they're dead because they couldn't even turn up that broken hull thingy on time 
. Can someone pls get me the source on this video, I wanna see it for myself? And what's with the "at war with drug traffickers" excuse? Is that even a legit argument? 
Come on, 87 deaths? That's like a superpower trying to wipe out a few rival superheroes 
! "Excessive force"? Are you kidding me? They're just trying to make a statement: "We're gonna bomb you if you're caught with our stash of contraband 
"! It's all about the Benjamins, folks 
. And what's up with these strikes being shrouded in secrecy? Sounds like a bunch of spy movies 
... or just some super-slick PR spin 
! Can't we just have a simple "We're not gonna bomb innocent people" and be done with it? 
i mean, what's next? gonna start dropping bombs on farmers for growing marijuana? 
that's just not right. and the fact that they won't show us the footage of the second attack is like, totally sketchy. it smells like cover-up to me. we need more transparency in our government and less killing of innocent people. 
! Can you even imagine being on that boat, not knowing what was happening, and then trying to fix up the damage? It's just too much 
. We need more transparency about these strikes so we can understand what's going on and make sure this doesn't happen to innocent civilians again 
. It's making me question everything about our US military actions in the Caribbean right now 
.
. It's also crazy how much attention this campaign has gotten - 87 deaths already? That's a huge number, especially when most people think of the Caribbean as a pretty chill place 
.
It's all pretty confusing right now... but one thing's for sure: transparency and accountability are key 
.
and yeah, transparency is key when it comes to our tax dollars being used for military actions 
... how can we even justify killing people who didn't know they were in a war zone? wasn't there like a way to negotiate or something before the airstrike happened? i mean, those guys were shirtless and unarmed, just trying to survive 
... shouldn't we have more transparency about what's going on over there? like, why can't the Pentagon release footage of everything? it's just so much red tape 
.
it's all about the $$$, you know? who cares about the laws of war when there's money to be made from these operations? 
I mean, come on... this is just crazy! Those two guys getting blasted out of the water and left to die? It's like, what even is the point of that? 
The US military says they're fighting a war on drug smugglers, but it looks like they're just picking off innocent civilians who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. 
just kidding! But seriously, this is getting outta hand. I mean, 87 deaths? That's crazy. And now they're talking about whether or not it's war crimes? Come on, we gotta start thinking about the bigger picture here 
It's not like these guys were actively engaging with US forces or anything.
. It's like they're trying to hide something, but we all know how that usually goes down 
. We need to get to the bottom of why our governments are making these kinds of decisions and whether or not they're actually protecting us from harm 
.
Airstrike Footage Sparks Debate 