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Marrakech – The search for two American soldiers who went missing off Morocco’s southern Atlantic coast has entered its fifth day, with more than 600 military personnel from multiple countries now deployed across a vast stretch of coastline and open ocean.
According to the Associated Press (AP), US, Moroccan, and other participating forces in the African Lion 26 exercise have covered more than 45 square kilometers of coastal and open ocean area. “Our two soldiers and their families remain our absolute priority,” a US defense official told the AP on condition of anonymity.
The two US Army members went missing last week near the Cap Draa training area outside Tan-Tan, a coastal city in southwestern Morocco. They are believed to have been on a recreational hike and may have fallen into the ocean, according to the Moroccan military.
Morocco’s Royal Armed Forces (FAR) confirmed Wednesday that specialized search and rescue units have been working around the clock since May 2.
The FAR said in a statement that its units – including the Royal Gendarmerie, the Royal Navy, the Atlas Hunters and military engineering units – have deployed significant land, air and maritime assets to locate the two soldiers near a cliff at Cap Draa in the Tan-Tan region. Royal Navy divers have conducted searches inside caves along the cliff, the statement added.
Earlier reporting by CBS News on Monday shed light on how the incident unfolded. A group of service members had gone on a hike to watch the sunset when one soldier fell into the water. Fellow soldiers attempted a rescue by forming a human chain with their belts, but were unsuccessful.
A second soldier then jumped in to save the first, who was known not to be able to swim, but was immediately struck by a wave, according to a preliminary report cited by CBS. A third soldier also entered the water but was unable to rescue the other two. That soldier managed to return to shore safely.
The Moroccan Navy released a video on Wednesday showing military divers examining caves, aircraft scanning the ocean surface, and teams of uniformed personnel with canine crews combing the rocky shoreline.
Two vessels from the maritime training component of the drills have been reassigned to the search. These include a Moroccan European multi-mission frigate and a French multipurpose supply vessel. A US logistics vessel continues to support the exercise while also assisting in the search effort.
Aviation assets involved in the operation include a US UC-35 Citation jet, a US Army C-12 Huron aircraft, and Moroccan Puma and Super Puma helicopters. Several technology vendors participating in African Lion have also deployed unmanned aerial systems for surveillance of the search area.
The US military separately announced the deployment of a Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft from Sigonella Naval Air Station in Italy to Tan-Tan.
African Lion 26 is a US-led exercise launched on April 20 across four countries – Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana, and Senegal – involving more than 7,000 personnel from over 30 nations. The North African country hosts the bulk of the drills. It is the largest annual joint military exercise led by AFRICOM in Africa and has been held since 2004. The exercise is set to end on Friday.
While the search operation continued, the military drills and their parallel humanitarian activities proceeded as scheduled.
A medical campaign in ophthalmology and dental care was held on Wednesday in Dakhla for local children, in cooperation between Morocco’s military and US forces.
US Ambassador to Morocco, Duke Buchan III, attended and noted it was the first such mission organized in Dakhla under African Lion. He said more than 100 American health professionals were taking part, with around 20,000 patients expected to benefit.
