Warning: This article contains discussion of torture which some readers may find distressing.
A disturbing video reveals why a notorious form of torture is effective.
The footage highlights the biological components of the method, known for being intensely painful and traumatic for those subjected to it.
This method is Waterboarding. It involves restraining the individual while covering their nose and mouth with a wet cloth. Water is then poured over the cloth, simulating the sensation of drowning.
While it may appear simple and primitive, there is a grim reason for its effectiveness.
Waterboarding is recognized as a form of torture by numerous international entities.
This perspective is shared by human rights organizations, legal authorities, veterans, and political figures.
But what makes it so potent?
As water enters the mouth, it infiltrates the respiratory system, akin to the experience of swallowing water incorrectly.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI2tq1F8fig
This triggers coughing and choking as the body attempts to expel the fluid from the respiratory tract.
However, the damp cloth prevents the water from being expelled, making the victim feel as though they are drowning.
Waterboarding is one of the most notorious torture techniques employed in contemporary times.
Its most prominent modern application was at the US Guantanamo Bay detention center.
Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, President George W. Bush initiated the War on Terror.
This involved military interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, along with intelligence operations to capture the 9/11 perpetrators.
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who admitted to orchestrating the September 11th attacks, is among those who have been waterboarded.
James Mitchell, a psychologist, was contracted by the CIA to design ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’.
In a chilling statement, Mitchell remarked: “If it were today, I would do it again.”
He stated: “I thought of my moral obligation to protect American lives against the temporary discomfort of terrorists who took up arms against America. I decided I would just live with it.”
However, the technique was not originally devised by the US as a torture method.
It was reportedly created to train US soldiers to withstand interrogation techniques used by North Korea and Vietnam.