A search and rescue operation was launched in southern Morocco after two US Army soldiers went missing during annual joint military exercises, defense officials told CBS News on Sunday.
The soldiers were last seen near ocean cliffs close to the Cap Draa Training Area, a vast stretch of coastline where the Sahara Desert meets the Atlantic Ocean near the city of Tan Tan. Initial reports indicate they may have fallen into the ocean. No foul play is suspected.
The training exercise, known as African Lion, was suspended Sunday as American and Moroccan military assets were redirected to the search. Ground teams, aerial units, and maritime elements from the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces, US Armed Forces, and other African Lion partner nations are all participating in the effort.
CBS News reporters embedded with the US military described a base-wide headcount conducted at 9 p.m. local time Saturday night, followed by helicopter activity throughout the night. By Sunday morning, the reporters observed planes, helicopters, and drones operating along the coastal area.
African Lion is the largest annual joint military exercise led by AFRICOM, one of the Pentagon's 11 unified combatant commands. This year's exercise involves more than 7,000 personnel from over 30 nations, with an increased focus on drones, autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence, according to the Associated Press. The exercise trains forces across land, air, sea, cyber, and space domains.
The names of the two missing soldiers have not been released. In 2012, two US Marines were killed and two others injured when a helicopter crashed during African Lion.
