TAN-TAN, Morocco — Two U.S. Army Soldiers participating in African Lion 2026 were reported missing near the Cap Draa Training Area in southwestern Morocco after they failed to return from an area near ocean cliffs, U.S. and Moroccan officials said. U.S., Moroccan and partner-nation forces launched a search and rescue operation by air, land and sea as investigators worked to determine what happened, May 4, 2026.
The missing Soldiers were taking part in the annual multinational exercise but were not actively training when they disappeared, a U.S. defense official told The Associated Press. The official said the day’s exercises had ended and the Soldiers were on a recreational hike when they went missing near the Atlantic coast.
African Lion 2026 search expands around Cap Draa
U.S. Africa Command said the two service members were reported missing near Cap Draa, close to the city of Tan-Tan, May 2. In an official search and rescue statement, AFRICOM said U.S., Moroccan and other participating forces were coordinating the response.
The search includes helicopters, ships, mountain rescue units and divers, according to the AP. Reuters reported that the operation was using ground, air and maritime resources and that the cause of the incident remained under investigation, citing AFRICOM’s statement on the missing U.S. troops during African Lion.
The Soldiers’ names have not been released. Military officials typically withhold identities until next of kin are notified and the information is cleared for public release.
A defense official told The Washington Post that the Soldiers may have fallen into the ocean during an evening walk and that there was no indication the incident was connected to terrorism. AFRICOM has not publicly announced a final cause.
Exercise spans four African host nations
African Lion 2026 began in Morocco in late April and is scheduled to run through May 8. The exercise is led by U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa, and hosted in Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia, according to the U.S. Army’s report on the launch of African Lion 26 in Morocco.
The Army said the exercise involves more than 5,600 civilian and military personnel from more than 40 nations. Training is designed to strengthen collective security, improve interoperability and support partner-led regional security.
AFRICOM describes African Lion as its largest annual joint exercise and says it is intended to strengthen interoperability among U.S. forces, NATO allies and African partner nations. The exercise includes command post training, field training, live-fire events and activities tied to crisis response and regional security.
Older African Lion articles show years of expanding drills
The disappearance comes during an exercise series that has grown steadily over two decades. In 2024, the U.S. Army reported that African Lion 24 included more than 8,000 multinational service members from 27 countries, with U.S. and Moroccan forces training alongside NATO contingents.
The following year, the U.S. Embassy in Morocco said African Lion 25 opened in Morocco as the largest annual joint military exercise on the African continent, continuing the long-running U.S.-Moroccan defense partnership.
The exercise has also seen previous tragedies. In 2012, two U.S. Marines were killed and two others were severely injured when an MV-22 Osprey crashed during African Lion in Morocco, according to AP coverage published by CBS News.
Search continues as families await answers
The terrain around Cap Draa is rugged, with desert and semidesert plains near the Atlantic coast. Search crews have been working across difficult ground and coastal waters while military officials continue to gather information.
AFRICOM said the incident remains under investigation. No recovery, rescue or change in status had been publicly announced by U.S. officials as of Monday morning.
For the Soldiers’ families, the mission has narrowed to one priority: finding the missing service members and determining how they disappeared during one of the U.S. military’s largest annual exercises in Africa.
