Here’s the Background on the Two American Soldiers Who Went Missing Over the Weekend

Two American service members went missing over the weekend while participating in a joint military exercise with partner nations in North Africa. Search and rescue efforts are still underway.

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

CBS has reported that the two soldiers were off-duty and had decided to go on a hike to observe the sunset when one fell off of a cliff and into the water below. A number of soldiers then attempted to form a human chain to rescue their comrade in the water, but failed to pull them up. The second soldier then jumped into the water for a rescue attempt, but failed. A third soldier also attempted a rescue, but returned to shore after likewise failing.