The body of the second American soldier who went missing during the military exercises “African Lion“ in Morocco, was found after a rescue operation in the southern part of the kingdom, the Moroccan armed forces announced.
“Rescue teams of the Moroccan army have completed extensive search operations in the Cap Draa region in the southwest of the country following the discovery of the body of a second American soldier who went missing in action a few days earlier“, said a statement from the Moroccan armed forces, quoted by the Le12 news portal.
It added that “The Royal Armed Forces have mobilized specialized land and naval units in coordination with the American side, and experienced rescue teams have participated in the search, working around the clock for the past few days“. The rank and name of the deceased American soldier were not provided.
On May 11, the Moroccan army command announced the discovery of the body of the first American soldier. According to the Pentagon, the deceased First Lieutenant Kendrick Lamont Kay Jr. was a platoon leader assigned to an air defense battery in the 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Regiment.
It was previously reported that the two missing soldiers were last seen near a coastal cliff adjacent to the Cap Draa training range. There was speculation that they may have fallen from the cliff into the Atlantic Ocean. A Pentagon source told CBS that drowning was also possible.
The search operation involved several Navy ships, riflemen from the Moroccan special forces unit “Atlas“, military engineers, helicopters and combat drones. Neither the Moroccan nor the American side have linked the incident with the missing US Army soldiers to any targeted terrorist activity.