U.S. Soldiers Missing Off Morocco Coast as 600-Person Search Expands
More than 600 military personnel from multiple countries are searching for two U.S. Army members who went missing near Morocco’s Atlantic coast during a major U.S.-led military exercise.
The soldiers disappeared near the Cap Draa training area outside Tan-Tan, a coastal city in southwestern Morocco. Moroccan military officials said they are believed to have been on a recreational hike and may have fallen into the ocean, according to The Associated Press.
The search has now expanded across more than 45 square kilometers of coastal and open ocean area. Personnel from the U.S., Morocco and other African Lion participants are involved, with crews searching underwater caves, rocky shoreline and the Atlantic surface.
The operation includes military divers, canine teams, aircraft, helicopters, vessels and unmanned aerial systems. The Moroccan Navy released video showing divers inspecting caves, aircraft scanning the water and uniformed teams combing the coast.
The missing soldiers were taking part in African Lion 26, a U.S.-led exercise launched in April across Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal. The exercise includes more than 7,000 personnel from over 30 nations and is described by AP as the largest U.S. joint military exercise in Africa since 2004.
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The search has also affected the exercise itself. Two vessels from the maritime training component were reassigned to the search, including a Moroccan frigate and a French supply vessel. U.S. and Moroccan aircraft are also supporting the operation.
The soldiers’ names have not been released. The cause of the incident remains under investigation, and officials have not issued a final account of what happened.
For now, the immediate consequence is clear — a multinational military training exercise has become a large-scale search-and-rescue operation centered on two missing American service members and their families.
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