In a developing incident reported over the weekend, two American service members have been declared missing while taking part in a large-scale multinational military exercise in southern Morocco, U.S. Africa Command (Africom) confirmed in a statement released Sunday.
The missing service members were participating in African Lion 2026, the yearly joint military drill that brings together U.S. military personnel, NATO alliance partners, and multiple African partner nations. The exercise’s core mission is to enhance interoperability, strengthen tactical coordination, and deepen security cooperation across transatlantic and African defense forces.
According to Africom’s official update, the two troops were reported missing Saturday in the area adjacent to the Cap Draa Training Area, located just outside the southwestern Moroccan city of Tan Tan. This coastal desert region near the Atlantic coast forms the primary training ground for large-scale maneuver drills during African Lion.
A comprehensive search and rescue operation has been activated to locate the missing service members, with assets contributed by multiple nations. The mission draws on ground search teams, air reconnaissance sorties, and maritime patrol resources from the United States, Moroccan defense forces, and other participating partners. As of the latest update, the search remains ongoing with no further details released on the circumstances of the disappearance or the identities of the missing troops.