U.S. Officials Rule Out Terrorism in Disappearance of 2 Soldiers in Morocco

Morocco — Two U.S. Army service members remain missing in southwestern Morocco after vanishing during a hike as part of a large-scale multinational military exercise, with U.S. officials stating the incident is not believed to be an act of terrorism.

The soldiers disappeared on Saturday while participating in the annual exercise known as African Lion, which brings together approximately 5,000 troops from NATO and several African nations each year in Morocco. According to military officials, the two were on a hike in a rugged training area along the Atlantic coast when they went missing.

Speaking anonymously to The New York Times, U.S. military officials said the working theory is that the two troops may have slipped off a cliff and fallen into the ocean.

The Pentagon has confirmed that both service members are in the Army, and military officials are specifically ruling out any link to terrorism, noting the incident appears to have been an accident.

A search and rescue operation is currently underway, utilizing ships, ground troops, and drones. A former U.S. Navy SEAL said that all training stops when an incident like this occurs, with helicopters and boats deployed in the search effort. He added that such accidents happen more often than is reported.

U.S. Africa Command officials have directly confirmed that the incident is not terrorism-related, emphasizing that their focus remains on locating the two soldiers and bringing them back safely.