Two U.S. Army soldiers have gone missing in southwestern Morocco after taking part in the African Lion military exercises, prompting a large-scale joint search and rescue operation involving American, Moroccan and allied forces. The United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed the incident on Sunday, noting it remains under investigation.
The soldiers disappeared on Saturday at around 9 p.m. near the Cap Draa Training Area, close to the coastal town of Tan Tan on Morocco's Atlantic coast — a rugged stretch of mountainous terrain mixing desert and semi-desert plains. A U.S. defence official told the Associated Press that the pair had finished their scheduled training for the day and were on a recreational hike when they went missing. They were last seen near ocean cliffs in the area, and a separate official told AFP that initial reports suggest they may have fallen into the sea. "I can confirm this incident is not related to terrorism but appears to be an accident," the official said. A base-wide headcount reportedly failed to account for the two soldiers, after which the search was immediately launched.
The search operation has deployed helicopters, naval vessels, drones, mountain rescue units and divers across the difficult coastal terrain. The operation was still under way Sunday evening, with U.S. and Moroccan forces working alongside allies participating in African Lion.
African Lion, which has been running since 2004, is the largest annual U.S. joint military exercise on the African continent. Now in its 21st edition, this year's exercise spans four host countries — Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal — and involves more than 7,000 personnel from over 30 nations, including NATO allies. The drills are designed to strengthen regional security cooperation and sharpen the readiness of participating forces. The exercise began in April and is scheduled to conclude in early May. In 2012, two U.S. Marines were killed and two others injured in a helicopter crash near Agadir, also in southern Morocco, during the same exercise.
The incident underscores the depth of military ties between Morocco and the United States. Morocco is considered a key Western partner in a region that has seen significant instability, with military coups in neighbouring Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger since 2020 leading those countries to distance themselves from Western powers. The search operation remains ongoing.