The incident occurred near the Cap Draa Training Area by Tan Tan on May 2, amid African Lion, which began in April and involves four countries plus others, with a planned end in early May.

Two U.S. Army service members are missing in southwestern Morocco after taking part in the African Lion multinational exercise, with search and rescue operations underway.

More than 7,000 personnel from over 30 nations are participating in Africa’s largest annual U.S. joint exercise on the continent.

News outlets including BBC News and CBS News have reported on the incident and ongoing search efforts, with Daily Voice providing updates as available.

Officials have not released the missing soldiers’ names or additional details; authorities say no foul play is suspected at this time.

Officials treat the incident as an accident rather than terrorism or kidnapping, with one account suggesting the missing service members may have wandered off the training area at dusk and fallen from a cliff.

The exercise was halted as assets shifted to the search and rescue operation, with helicopters and planes involved and nighttime operations observed.

The incident occurred around 21:00 local time and was reported by the Moroccan FAR on Facebook, with confirmations from Moroccan and American authorities.

Fox News contributed to the report and the Associated Press provided coverage.

Training near Cap Draa was largely halted as assets were redirected to the search, and the missing soldiers’ names have not yet been released.

The case has sparked scrutiny over safety and security measures during the drills.

The African Lion exercise runs from April to early May 2026 and includes command posts, field trainings, live-fire demonstrations, and humanitarian civic activities.