Communist Militant Films Herself Getting Shot In Fierce Battle

first published on November 27, 2017 by Will

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A communist militant of Colombia’s ELN (Ejército de Liberación Nacional), known as the National Liberation Army in English, films herself getting shot, and possibly killed, during a fierce battle against Colombian government troops.

The date and the context of the gunfight is unknown, but it begins as the communist guerrillas are firing from inside a densely foliated woodline. From the beginning of the video until the end, very close incoming small arms fire can be heard. Their enemy is returning accurate fire.

Soon, the offensive fighters advance out of the forest into the open. They seem to have the Colombian government soldiers pinned down as they move in for the kill. The sounds of incoming near misses becomes more frequent, and it is apparent to everyone but the camerawoman that the situation is deadly.

The communist fighters hug the ground as they fire at their enemy to make themselves the smallest target possible. Yet, the camerawoman stands tall, ignoring the zips and snaps of the deadly projectiles barely missing her. She laughs and yells as her adrenaline high makes her feel invincible.

A pair of well-aimed rounds targets her. The first just missing, but the second makes impact. She drops like a rock, and the vocalizations of fun and excitement immediately turn to crying out of pain and fear. At ~5:25 into the video, blood can be seen pouring through the frame onto the ground.

The crying and whimpering quickly changes to indistinct, guttural sounds of an incoherent person dying. Her wounds are serious and likely fatal. Even as her comrades extract her to the rear, enemy rounds continue to pass through the air, very near to them.

They ELN is the second largest anti government fighting force in Colombia behind FARC, another communist guerrilla group. The ELN boasts a couple thousand person fighting force, and is considered a terrorist organization by multiple countries including the United States.