Two American service members went missing off Morocco’s southern coast during an annual training exercise known as African Lion. As of Monday, search and rescue efforts were still underway.
A preliminary report indicates that a group of service members was on a hike near the Cap Draa Training Area when one soldier fell into the water. The first attempt to rescue the fallen soldier failed due to being hit by a wave.
Another soldier then jumped in but also couldn’t save the initial fallen soldier, who reportedly could not swim. However, this third soldier managed to reach shore safely on his own.
Multiple aircraft, drones, divers and vessels have been searching along Morocco’s southern coast for the last three days for the two missing U.S. soldiers. African Lion is the largest annual joint military exercise led by AFRICOM, involving thousands of troops from the United States, African partner nations, and NATO allies to train for modern warfare across various domains.
The soldiers were stationed at a base along with more than 7,000 service members from over 30 countries for the annual exercises.