Morocco: the body of the second American soldier who disappeared in early May has been found

The body of the second American soldier missing in the south of Morocco, where she was as part of the international exercise “African Lion 2026” has been found, the American army announced on Wednesday, after more than a week of searching.

The American and Moroccan armed forces have “found the second of two American soldiers who went missing on May 2, near the Cap Draa training area (…) Search and rescue operations are now over”announced the American command for Europe and Africa in a press release.

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Two American soldiers disappeared on May 2 at a cliff at Cap Draa, in the Tan-Tan region, on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. They participated in the 22nd edition of “African Lion 2026”, a multinational military exercise launched at the end of April and organized by the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (FAR) in partnership with the American armed forces.

The trail of an accident

The armed forces have “located and recovered the soldier on May 12 in a coastal cave located approximately 500 meters from where the two soldiers were believed to have entered the ocean.”continues the press release. “More than 1,000 American and Moroccan military and civilian personnel participated in the search operations, which covered more than 21,300 square kilometers at sea and in coastal areas.”adds the American command for Europe and Africa. “The investigation into this accident is still ongoing”précise le communiqué.

An American military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the two soldiers could have “having fallen into the ocean”evoking the possibility of an accident and ruling out that of terrorism. The two remains are “on the way to the United States”adds the American army.

The “African Lion 2026” brought together nearly 5,000 military personnel from more than 40 countries, as well as experts specializing in the fields of security and defense.