AFRICOM: 2 U.S. Army service members missing in Morocco

OAN Staff Jenna Lee
2:30 PM – Monday, May 4, 2026

U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) is currently coordinating a massive search and rescue operation for two U.S. Army service members who vanished near the Cap Draa Training Area in Morocco. The incident occurred during African Lion 2026, the continent’s largest annual multinational military exercise.

The missing troops were last seen near the rugged ocean cliffs bordering the Atlantic, a region characterized by a harsh mix of desert plains and semidesert terrain.

While the search involves both Moroccan and American aerial and maritime assets, initial assessments suggest the disappearance may have been a tragic recreational accident rather than a training mishap, as the service members were reportedly hiking in the area after their scheduled duties had concluded.

“The soldiers were last seen near ocean cliffs in the vicinity of the Cap Draa Training Area during scheduled training. When they did not return as expected, U.S. and Moroccan personnel immediately initiated a joint search effort,” added an official.

 

“The incident remains under investigation and the search is ongoing,” said AFRICOM in a statement.

In response to the disappearance, AFRICOM has mobilized a joint search and rescue mission alongside Moroccan forces and international partners.

This high-stakes recovery effort highlights the scale of the African Lion exercise, an annual event that draws over 7,000 personnel from 30 nations and serves as a premier showcase for cooperation between top U.S. military officials and their African allies.

Although the primary objective of these maneuvers is to bolster regional security and prepare multinational forces for global crises, this latest incident serves as a crucial reminder of the inherent risks involved.

The current crisis also echoes a past tragedy from 2012, when a helicopter crash during the same exercise claimed the lives of two U.S. Marines and left two others injured — exemplifying the dangerous environments in which these critical training missions occur.

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