CASABLANCA, Morocco — An intensive multinational rescue operation involving more than 600 military personnel continues along Morocco’s Atlantic shoreline as teams search for two missing American Army soldiers, military officials announced Wednesday.
The extensive search effort has now stretched into its fifth day as the large-scale African Lion military training exercises approach their scheduled conclusion.
According to Moroccan military authorities, both U.S. Army personnel disappeared last week in the vicinity of the Cap Draa training zone near Tan-Tan, a coastal community in Morocco’s southwestern region. Officials believe the soldiers were engaged in recreational hiking activities when they potentially fell into ocean waters.
A U.S. defense official, speaking anonymously due to authorization restrictions, confirmed that search teams from America, Morocco, and other participating nations have systematically covered more than 45 square kilometers of coastal waters and open Atlantic areas.
“Our two soldiers and their families remain our absolute priority,” the official stated.
The missing personnel had been participating in African Lion 26, a major American-led training operation that began in April spanning Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, and Senegal. The exercise, featuring over 7,000 military members from more than 30 nations, represents America’s largest joint military training initiative on the African continent since its inception in 2004 and is scheduled to conclude Friday.
Video footage released Wednesday by Morocco’s Navy documented military divers investigating underwater cave systems, aircraft conducting ocean surface reconnaissance, and coordinated teams of uniformed personnel with search dogs methodically examining the rugged coastline. Multiple Moroccan military divisions have joined the rescue efforts.
Naval assets originally assigned to the exercise’s maritime training operations have been redirected to support search activities, including a Moroccan European multi-mission frigate and a French multipurpose supply ship. A U.S. logistics vessel continues dual responsibilities, maintaining exercise support while contributing to rescue operations, according to the defense official.
Aerial search capabilities include deployment of a U.S. UC-35 Citation aircraft, a U.S. Army C-12 Huron plane, and Moroccan Puma and Super Puma helicopter units.
Technology companies participating in the military exercise have contributed unmanned aerial surveillance systems to enhance monitoring of the designated search zones, the official added.
