The body of one of two US soldiers who were still missing during the “African Lion“ military exercise in Morocco has been found during a rescue operation in the south of the kingdom, the Moroccan armed forces announced.
“Intensive search operations carried out jointly by units of the Royal Armed Forces and the US Army led to the discovery and recovery of the body of one of the two US soldiers participating in the “African Lion“ exercise, said a statement from the army command, quoted by the Hespress news portal.
The body was found in a rocky area near Cap Draa“. According to a statement from the Moroccan army, it was transported by helicopter to the morgue of the military hospital in the city of Guelmim "in accordance with established procedures".
The Moroccan armed forces said that the rescue operation for the second missing American soldier is ongoing.
It was previously reported that the two missing soldiers were last seen near a coastal cliff adjacent to the Cap Draa training ground. There was speculation that they may have fallen from the cliff into the Atlantic Ocean. A Pentagon source told CBS that it is possible that they drowned.
The search operation is involving several naval vessels, riflemen from the Moroccan special forces unit "Atlas", military engineering units, helicopters and combat drones. Neither the Moroccan nor the American side has linked the incident with the missing American servicemen to any targeted terrorist activity.