Posted on 05/05/2026 12:01:31 PM PDT by Red Badger
We have an update on the missing U.S. soldiers in Morocco.
As WLT Report previously reported, two U.S. service members went missing during African Lion 2026, the annual training operation led by the U.S. Africa Command.
Now, new details have emerged regarding how the soldiers went missing.
According to an exclusive report by CBS News, one of the soldiers, while on a hike, fell into the ocean and, in an effort to save the soldier who fell, another soldier jumped into the ocean to rescue him, but was also swept away.
CBS News provided exclusive details on how the soldiers went missing and how things turned south during their hike:
One of the two American service members missing in Morocco jumped into the water to try to save the other missing soldier, defense officials told CBS News on Monday.
Search and rescue efforts were still underway as of Monday after the two U.S. Army soldiers went missing in the waters of the Atlantic Ocean off Morocco’s southern coast over the weekend. The soldiers were part of an annual training exercise known as African Lion, although the incident is not believed to be related to the exercise.
According to a preliminary report, a group of service members was on a hike to watch the sunset when a soldier fell into the water. A defense official previously told CBS News the soldiers were last seen near ocean cliffs near the Cap Draa Training Area.
When the first soldier fell into the water, the nearby service members attempted a rescue by forming a human chain with their belts, but were unsuccessful, the officials said. Another soldier then jumped in to save the service member, who was known not to be able to swim, but the would-be rescuer was immediately hit by a wave, the report indicates.
Both soldiers were having trouble getting back to shore, so a third jumped in. That third soldier wasn’t able to save the other two but was able to make it back safely on their own, the officials said.
Multiple aircraft, drones, divers and vessels have been searching along Morocco’s southern coast for the last three days for the two missing U.S. soldiers.
USA Today reported further details released by AFRICOM:
“U.S., Moroccan and other assets from African Lion immediately initiated coordinated search and rescue operations, including ground, air, and maritime assets,” U.S. Africa Command, aka AFRICOM, said in the statement. “The incident remains under investigation and the search is on-going.”
The incident is not related to terrorism, a defense department official confirmed to USA TODAY. The two soldiers, who the department confirmed are members of the U.S. Army but did not publicly identify, were last seen near ocean cliffs around the Cap Draa Training Area during scheduled training.
This is a developing story.
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Sad.
Yes very sad
Many prayers for all
“who was known not to be able to swim”
But made it into the water on the military’s watch?
Since I live in a coastal state, knowing how to swim is considered a basic skill. If nothing else, there are pools galore here.
I’m so sorry about those two soldiers. Even the one who apparently knew how to swim didn’t survive after being hit by a wave. Absolutely tragic!
Is it a Navy where you are required to know how to swim?
Army............
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