More Mishaps for US military
Two Decades of African Lion Marred by Repeated Mishaps
The annual “African Lion” military exercise, a cornerstone of U.S.-Morocco cooperation for over 20 years, has once again been overshadowed by an accidental loss of life. This year’s edition—meant to project a display of force against Sahel “rebel countries” like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger—has instead revealed persistent operational fragility.
As reported, two U.S. soldiers went missing during training near Cap Draa, southern Morocco. Despite a massive search involving helicopters, drones, and divers, they are feared to have fallen from seaside cliffs into the ocean. U.S. officials have ruled out terrorism, citing an accident. This incident painfully echoes the 2012 crash of a U.S. military aircraft during the same exercise, which killed two Marines.
For an event intended to showcase power and counter regional insurgents, failing to perform even a routine coastal exercise without self-inflicted harm raises serious questions about command safety and execution, undermining the very message of force it seeks to send.
