By Enyichukwu Enemanna
There are suspicions that two US soldiers who went missing during a training deployment in southern Morocco may have fallen into the ocean near seaside cliffs, AFP quoted a US defence official as saying as a large-scale multinational search continued till late hours of Sunday.
The troops disappeared late Saturday in the Cap Draa Training Area, triggering an extensive land, air and sea rescue operation involving US, Moroccan and allied forces.
The search was still underway shortly before 20:00 GMT on Sunday, with helicopters, vessels, drones, mountaineers and divers deployed across the rugged coastal terrain.
“I can confirm this incident is not related to terrorism but appears to be an accident,” the US official said, adding that initial reports indicate the soldiers may have fallen into the ocean.
US media reports suggested the duo may have gone on a hike after completing their training, though the information has not been independently verified.
Multiple media reports say helicopters were heard operating throughout the night after a base-wide headcount failed to account for the two soldiers.
Morocco’s armed forces confirmed their involvement in the search operation, highlighting ongoing military cooperation between Rabat and Washington.
The soldiers were participating in African Lion, the US military’s largest annual joint exercise in Africa, which brings together more than 10,000 personnel from more than 20 countries, including NATO allies.
Hosted across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia, the drills aim to enhance coordination and readiness among partner forces.
Similar casualty was recorded in 2012, when a US military aircraft crash during the same exercise in the region, killing two Marines and injured two others.
