Two US service members have gone missing during military exercises in Morocco, the US Africa Command (Africom) has said.

The missing Americans were participating in African Lion 2026, an annual joint exercise designed to strengthen operations between US forces, Nato allies, and African nations, officials said.

Africom said they were reported missing on Saturday near the Cap Draa Training Area, which is near the city of Tan-Tan.

Search and rescue efforts

A search and rescue mission involving ground, air, and maritime resources from the US, Morocco and other countries is underway for the service members, officials said. “The incident remains under investigation and the search is ongoing,” Africom said in a statement released on Sunday. “Our focus is on the service members involved and their families.”

Authorities believe the incident was an accident and was not an act of terrorism or kidnapping, a US official with knowledge of the matter told the BBC.

about the african lion exercise

African Lion, the continent’s largest annual joint military exercise, is hosted across Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and Tunisia. It focuses on all-domain operations, crisis response, and multinational coordination to enhance regional security and prepare for emergencies.

The exercise, which involves 5,000 personnel from over 40 countries and more than 30 US-based industry partners, is scheduled to run from 27 April to 8 May.

Separate incident involving missing scottish woman

This comes hours after a Scottish woman who went missing after checking out from a hotel in Morocco has been found, her family has confirmed.

Travel influencer Rachel Kerr from Alloa was staying in Agadir, a city on the country’s southern Atlantic coast, when her family lost contact on 25 April.

The 31-year-old had been staying at the Caribbean Village, an all-inclusive three star hotel, but checked out on Saturday and had not had her phone on since.

On Thursday evening her family said on social media that she had been found and was now with her brother.

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) confirmed earlier it was assisting the family of a British woman who had gone missing in Morocco.