More than 600 military personnel from multiple nations are engaged in an extensive search for two U.S. soldiers who vanished in Morocco during joint U.S.-African military exercises.
The operation, now in its fifth day, involves scouring underwater caves and a vast stretch of the Atlantic coast as the African Lion drills draw to a close.
The two U.S. Army members went missing last week near the Cap Draa training area, located outside Tan-Tan, a coastal city in southwestern Morocco.
Authorities believe they were on a recreational hike and may have fallen into the ocean.
The search effort, involving personnel from the U.S., Morocco, and other African Lion participants, has covered more than 17 square miles of coastal and open-ocean areas, a U.S. defense official told The Associated Press, speaking anonymously. “Our two soldiers and their families remain our absolute priority,” the official stated.
The soldiers were participating in African Lion 26, a U.S.-led exercise launched in April across Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, and Senegal.
One of the soldiers, who was unable to swim, fell into the ocean around 9 p.m. local time. This prompted the rest of the group to form a human chain using their belts to try to pull them out of the water, but this proved unsuccessful, according to CBS News.
It was at this point the second soldier jumped in to try to save their colleague, only to be hit by a wave. When neither could make it back to shore, a third entered the ocean but could not reach them and had to return for their own safety.
The drills involve more than 7,000 personnel from over 30 nations and are scheduled to conclude on Friday. Since 2004, it has stood as the largest U.S. joint military exercise conducted in Africa.
The Moroccan Navy released video footage on Wednesday showcasing military divers examining caves, aircraft scanning the ocean surface, and teams of uniformed personnel alongside canine crews combing the rocky shoreline.
Several Moroccan military units are actively involved in the search. Two vessels from the maritime training component of the drills, including a Moroccan European multi-mission frigate and a French multipurpose supply vessel, have been reassigned to the operation.
A U.S. logistics vessel continues to support the exercise while also assisting in the search. Aviation equipment deployed includes a U.S. UC-35 Citation jet, a U.S. Army C-12 Huron aircraft, and Moroccan Puma and Super Puma helicopters.
Additionally, several technology vendors involved in the exercise have deployed unmanned aerial systems to aid in surveillance of the search area.
