- Over 600 personnel are involved in the search for two missing U.S. soldiers off the coast of Morocco.
- The soldiers went missing near Cap Draa during the U.S.-African military exercises.
- The search operation includes divers, aircraft, and vessels, covering an area of 45 square kilometers.
CASABLANCA, Morocco — A massive search operation is underway involving over 600 military personnel from various countries, who are tirelessly looking for two U.S. soldiers who disappeared in Morocco during the U.S.-African military exercises. The search teams are exploring underwater caves and the Atlantic coast, as per the information released by the authorities on Wednesday.
The search operation is now in its fifth day, coinciding with the conclusion of the African Lion military drills.
The missing U.S. Army members were last seen near the Cap Draa training area outside Tan-Tan, a coastal city in southwestern Morocco, according to the Moroccan military. It is suspected that they were on a leisure hike and might have fallen into the ocean.
The search team, comprising more than 600 personnel from the U.S., Morocco, and other African Lion participants, has covered over 45 square kilometers of coastal and open ocean area, a U.S. defense official informed The Associated Press. The official chose to remain anonymous as they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
“Our two soldiers and their families remain our absolute priority,” the official emphasized.
The missing soldiers were participants in African Lion 26, a U.S.-led exercise initiated in April across Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, and Senegal. The exercise involved more than 7,000 personnel from over 30 nations and is scheduled to end on Friday. Since its inception in 2004, it has been the largest U.S. joint military exercise in Africa.
The Moroccan Navy shared a video on Wednesday that showed military divers exploring caves, aircraft scanning the ocean surface, and teams of uniformed personnel along with canine crews searching the rocky shoreline. Several Moroccan military units are actively participating in the search.
Two vessels from the maritime training component of the drills, a Moroccan-European multi-mission frigate and a French multipurpose supply vessel, have been reassigned to aid the search. A U.S. logistics vessel continues to support the exercise while assisting in the search effort, the official added.
The aviation equipment involved in the search includes a U.S. UC-35 Citation jet, a U.S. Army C-12 Huron aircraft, and Moroccan Puma and Super Puma helicopters.
Several technology vendors involved in the exercise have deployed unmanned aerial systems to help monitor the search area, the official further added.
I agree with the effort to search for the missing US soldiers. It’s important to have a large group of people involved in the search and to continue until they are found.