A search and rescue operation is underway as two American service members have gone missing outside of the Cap Draa Training Area near the city of Tan Tan, Morocco.
Two U.S. service members have been reported missing while participating in exercise African Lion 2026 in Morocco, according to a release from U.S. Africa Command. The service members were last known to be in the area of Cap Draa Training Area, near the city of Tan Tan, Morocco… pic.twitter.com/oCWkIHVlYt
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) May 3, 2026
Two U.S. service members participating in African Lion 2026 were reported missing near the Cap Draa Training Area, near the city of Tan Tan, Morocco, May 2, 2026.https://t.co/7zxpKQRHfB
— U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) (@USAfricaCommand) May 3, 2026
The two service members who were participating in African Lion 2026 were reported missing yesterday, with the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces stating that they went missing near a cliff, according to Reuters.
U.S. African Command (AFRICOM) has stated that American, Moroccan, and “other assets” from African Lion have coordinated the search and rescue operation using ground, air, and maritime assets.
"Our focus is on the service members involved and their families," AFRICOM said in a statement.
African Lion is a military exercise involving more than 10,000 military personnel across 20 participant nations, according to AFRICOM. Host nations include Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia, and participants conduct a “command post exercise, field training exercises, a live-fire demonstration, and humanitarian civic assistance program events.”
The incident is currently under investigation.