The Moroccan military announced on 10/5 that the body of a US servicemember was found at sea and transferred to a military hospital for repatriation. This servicemember was one of two who went missing near the cliffs of the Cap Draa training area, where the African Lion 2026 exercise was held.
US military officials told AFP that it was likely an accident with no signs of terrorism.
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Moroccan military Apache helicopter landing in the Tan-Tan area on 8/5, during the African Lion 2026 exercise. *Photo: AFP*
CBS, citing sources, reported that two US servicemembers went missing while walking along the coast with a group of comrades to watch the sunset. When the first person fell into the water, the remaining servicemembers tried to rescue them by forming a "human chain" with their belts, but failed. One US servicemember jumped in to save their comrade, who could not swim, but was immediately hit by waves.
A third servicemember then entered the water to try and rescue both, but was unsuccessful and returned to shore alone.
The US Department of Defense has not commented on this information.
Following the disappearance, US and Moroccan forces, along with allied contingents, launched a large-scale search operation by land, air, and sea in the Cap Draa area.
The US military's Africa Command (AFRICOM) stated that the search area covered over 8,000 square kilometers, extending along the Moroccan coast and offshore. The operation mobilized over 10 aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, vessels, Moroccan cave divers, and unmanned underwater vehicles.
African Lion is AFRICOM's largest annual exercise. It involves thousands of troops from the US, African partner nations, and NATO allies, training in modern warfare across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.
This year marks the 22nd iteration of the exercise. The event took place from 27/4 to 8/5 across four nations: Morocco, Ghana, Senegal, and Tunisia.
The majority of the training occurred in Morocco, involving approximately 5,000 servicemembers from over 40 countries. Exercise components included: land, sea, air, cyber, and space operations, alongside modules on counter-terrorism, humanitarian assistance, special operations, intelligence, and explosive ordnance disposal.
By Thanh Danh (AFP, CBS)
