AFRICOM Says Two U.S. Service Members Missing Near Cap Draa Training Area in Morocco

Two U.S. service members were reported missing in Morocco during the annual multinational military exercise African Lion, with AFRICOM saying the pair went missing on Saturday night near the Cap Draa Training Area.

“AFRICOM says search and rescue operations under way in southwestern Morocco during African Lion exercise”

Al Jazeera

UPI reported that the soldiers were reported missing on Sunday morning by the United States Africa Command, and that they were participating in African Lion when they went missing on Saturday night near the Cap Draa Training Area, near the city of Tan Tan, Morocco.

Al Jazeera

NBC News said the incident happened on May 2 near the Cap Draa Training Area near Tan Tan, close to the Atlantic Ocean, and described the terrain as mountainous, a mix of desert and semidesert plains.

The Hill likewise said the two U.S. service members were reported missing Saturday near the Cap Draa Training Area by Tan Tan, and that AFRICOM said “The incident remains under investigation and the search is on-going.”

Fox News Digital reported that the incident happened on Saturday at the Cap Draa Training Area near Tan Tan, and said AFRICOM stated the rescue operation includes ground, air and maritime assets.

CBS News added that a defense official told CBS News the soldiers were last seen near ocean cliffs near the Cap Draa Training Area, and that initial reports indicate they may have fallen into the ocean.

Stars and Stripes reported that the service members were reported missing about 9 p.m. Saturday at a cliffside on the training area, citing the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces’ Facebook page.

Across outlets, AFRICOM’s statement framed the situation as an ongoing investigation, with the search continuing as U.S., Moroccan, and other African Lion participants mobilized assets.

AFRICOM and participating forces launched coordinated search and rescue operations after the missing service members were discovered during a base-wide head-count.

UPI said the soldiers were discovered missing during a base-wide head-count around 9 p.m. local time, and that helicopters searched throughout the night while various aircraft—including larger planes and drones—picked up the search on Sunday morning near the coast.

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CBS News described the search as underway in southern Morocco and said the training exercise, known as African Lion, ground to a halt Sunday as U.S. and Moroccan assets were redirected to the search and rescue operation.

The Hill reported that U.S. and Moroccan forces had completed search and rescue operations on the ground, in the air and using maritime assets, while AFRICOM said it would provide “Additional information” as it became available.

Fox News Digital said the rescue operation included ground, air and maritime assets, and that it was unclear what unit or branch of the military the missing service members belong to.

Stars and Stripes reported that the military was withholding the branch and unit of the missing service members, pending the results of the search and rescue operation, and said AFRICOM’s statement emphasized that “U.S., Moroccan and other assets from African Lion immediately initiated coordinated search and rescue operations, including ground, air, and maritime assets.”

NBC News said the U.S., Morocco and other countries participating in African Lion launched a search and rescue operation, and repeated AFRICOM’s language that “The incident remains under investigation and the search is ongoing.”

Al Jazeera similarly said AFRICOM said the pair went missing on Saturday close to the Cap Draa Training Area near the city of Tan Tan, and that the US, Morocco and other countries launched search and rescue operations involving ground, air and maritime assets.

While AFRICOM repeatedly said the incident remains under investigation, multiple outlets reported an initial working theory that the missing service members may have fallen into the ocean.

“Votre panier est vide”

Aujourd'hui le Maroc

CBS News said a defense official told CBS News that the soldiers were last seen near ocean cliffs near the Cap Draa Training Area and that initial reports indicate they may have fallen into the ocean, adding that no foul play is suspected, sources told CBS News.

Stars and Stripes reported that a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity said the service members were involved in a hiking accident while off duty and fell into the ocean.

UPI similarly reported that military officials said their disappearance is unrelated to the exercise, but rather than they had gone on a hike near the training range and may have slipped off a cliff into the ocean, citing The New York Times.

Fox News Digital said it was unclear what unit or branch of the military the missing service members belong to, and it did not state a definitive cause.

NBC News said the command did not state what unit or branch of the military the missing service members belong to, and said the Associated Press has requested clarification.

The Hill said AFRICOM’s focus was on the service members involved and their families, quoting AFRICOM’s statement that “Our focus is on the service members involved and their families.”

Al Jazeera reported that AFRICOM said the pair went missing on Saturday close to the Cap Draa Training Area near the city of Tan Tan, and that the incident remains under investigation.

The missing incident unfolded during African Lion, which multiple outlets described as the U.S. Africa Command’s largest annual joint exercise and as a multinational event hosted across several countries.

UPI said African Lion is an annual joint military exercise that includes the U.S. military, NATO allies and African partner nations, and is hosted by Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia, and it said this year’s event is scheduled to run from April 27 to May 8 and includes 5,000 people from 40 countries.

BBC

NBC News said the war games exercise started in April and runs across four countries, including Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal, and is scheduled to end in early May, while also stating that in all, over 7,000 personnel from more than 30 nations are participating across the four host countries.

Fox News Digital said more than 7,000 personnel from more than 30 nations are participating across the four host countries and that the exercise started in April and runs across four countries, including Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal, scheduled to end in early May.

The Hill described African Lion as AFRICOM’s largest annual joint exercise designed to “strengthen interoperability” among U.S. forces, NATO allies, and African partner nations, and said it is hosted by Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia.

The Guardian said African Lion has been running since 2004, is the largest U.S. annual joint military exercise on the continent, and usually features high-ranking military officials from the U.S. and its top African allies.

Al Jazeera said African Lion is the largest annual joint military exercise that the U.S. takes part in on the continent, hosted by Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia, with the stated aim to strengthen “interoperability among participants and build readiness to respond to crises and contingencies in Africa and around the world”.

Stars and Stripes said with over 5,500 personnel from more than 30 nations, African Lion is the largest AFRICOM drill on the continent, and that the Morocco phase commenced late last month and was slated to run through early May.

The missing service members’ case is being handled as an active search and investigation, while the exercise continues to be described as a venue for interoperability and readiness.

“A search and rescue operation is underway in southern Morocco after two U”

CBS News

AFRICOM’s statement, as quoted by The Hill, emphasized that “Our focus is on the service members involved and their families,” and it said “Additional information will be provided as it becomes available.”

CBS News

NBC News said the incident remains under investigation and the search is ongoing, and it noted that the Associated Press has requested clarification about the unit or branch.

Fox News Digital reported that Fox News Digital reached out to AFRICOM for more details but did not immediately hear back, and it reiterated that it was unclear what unit or branch the missing service members belong to.

Stars and Stripes said the military was withholding the branch and unit of the missing service members, pending the results of the search and rescue operation, and it reported that the incident remains under investigation and the search is ongoing.

CBS News said ground teams, aerial assets and maritime elements from the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces, U.S. Armed Forces, and other African Lion participants are involved in the search, and it described how African Lion ground to a halt Sunday as assets were redirected.

NBC News included broader regional context, saying that since 2020 military officers disillusioned with their governments’ records of stemming violence have overthrown democratically elected governments in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger and began distancing themselves from Western powers.

Aujourd'hui le Maroc described U.S. plans for a new center for training in drones, quoting general Christopher Donahue about a plan to support training of drone operators on the continent and describing an African Lion 2026 drone training module for a “quinzaine de participants.”