A large-scale coordinated search operation involving American, Moroccan and allied military forces is entering its second day for two U.S. Army soldiers who went missing during a routine training deployment in southern Morocco, U.S. defense officials confirmed to Agence France-Presse on Sunday.
The service members disappeared from the Cap Draa Training Area late Saturday, and were last located near rugged seaside cliffs. Initial investigations have ruled out any connection to terrorist activity, pointing instead to a tragic accidental incident. According to early assessments, the pair likely fell into the Atlantic Ocean after going off-trail in the coastal area.
Multiple unofficial reports have added context to the disappearance: The Wall Street Journal cites U.S. officials stating the soldiers had embarked on an unsanctioned hike following the conclusion of scheduled training activities, though AFP has not been able to independently verify this detail. A CBS News reporter embedded with the exercise noted that military helicopters conducted searches continuously through the night and into Sunday morning, after a base-wide headcount shortly after training finished revealed the two soldiers were unaccounted for.
Morocco’s armed forces publicly confirmed their participation in the search via an official Facebook post, and U.S. defense officials detailed the extensive resources deployed to locate the missing pair. The search effort combines land, air and sea assets, including multiple military helicopters, surface vessels, uncrewed reconnaissance drones, specialized mountain rescue teams, and diving units to comb the coastal waters below the cliffs. As of 8 p.m. GMT Sunday, search operations remained actively ongoing.
The soldiers were in Morocco to participate in African Lion, the largest annual joint military exercise organized by U.S. Africa Command. Hosted annually across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia, the exercise brings together more than 10,000 military personnel from over 20 nations, including NATO allies and partner forces across North and West Africa, for coordinated training drills focused on regional security and interoperability.
The Cap Draa Training Area has been the site of past training fatalities involving U.S. personnel during African Lion. In 2012, two U.S. Marines died and two others were injured when their aircraft crashed in the same region during that year’s iteration of the exercise.