Two U.S. Soldiers Missing After Hike in Morocco
Two U.S. Army soldiers went missing Saturday night in southwestern Morocco after heading out for a hike on their own time near where American and allied forces have been running joint military drills, U.S. Africa Command announced Sunday.
The soldiers were off the clock when it happened. A defense official, not authorized to speak on the record, told the Associated Press they had apparently set out on foot after the day's training wrapped up.
Rugged Terrain, Cliffs, and a Nighttime Disappearance
They were last seen around 9 p.m. near the Cap Draa Training Area, close to the coastal city of Tan Tan — a stretch of rugged, semi-desert landscape where the terrain drops off into Atlantic cliffs. When neither soldier came back, U.S. and Moroccan teams fanned out to look for them. The search has since pulled in:
- Helicopters and naval ships sweeping the coastline
- Mountain rescue teams and divers working the cliff areas where the soldiers were last seen
"The incident remains under investigation and the search is ongoing," AFRICOM said.
African Lion: The Exercise Behind the Visit
Both soldiers were in-country for African Lion, the biggest U.S. military exercise held annually on the African continent. Key details about the exercise:
- Kicked off in April and runs through early May
- Draws more than 7,000 personnel from upward of 30 nations
- Spans four host countries: Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal
Morocco's Role as a U.S. Partner
Morocco has long been one of Washington's more reliable partners in the region — a relationship that's taken on added weight as neighbors like Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have drifted from Western alliances in the wake of a string of military coups since 2020.
African Lion isn't without a dark history. Back in 2012, a helicopter went down near Agadir during the exercise, killing two U.S. Marines and injuring two others.
