Body recovered in search for two missing US soldiers in Morocco

The body of one of two US soldiers who went missing during an international training exercise in southern Morocco has been found, the Moroccan army said on Sunday.

A massive land, air and sea search was launched by the United States military, Moroccan and allied forces in the Cap Draa Training Area after the service members went missing last Saturday.

In a statement, Morocco's army said a body had been recovered from the sea on Saturday.

The two soldiers went missing near a cliff on the Atlantic coast while taking part in the African Lion 2026 military exercises.

A US military official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP late Sunday that they may have fallen into the sea, pointing to the likelihood of an accident and ruling out terrorism.

The body of the US serviceman was transferred to a military hospital, pending repatriation, the Moroccan army said. Search operations were continuing for his colleague.

US Africa Command has said that the search covered more than 8,000 square kilometres (just over 3,000 square miles) of sea and the coast, and included more than 10 aircraft, Moroccan cave divers and an unmanned underwater vehicle.

African Lion 2026 involved nearly 5,000 troops from more than 40 countries, as well as experts specialising in security and defence.