Trump announces rescue of missing U.S. aircraft crew in Iran: "We found him! He's safe and sound now"
Multiple U.S. officials told CBS that a U.S. crew member from an F-15E fighter jet, which went missing after being shot down in a remote area of Iran, was rescued by U.S. forces early Sunday morning local time. The pilot of the aircraft had been rescued earlier on Friday.
U.S. officials previously told CBS that the aircraft, which was shot down by Iranian forces on Friday, carried two crew members. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for the shootdown, stating the plane was downed over southwestern Iran on Friday morning.
Two weapons experts noted that photos of wreckage released by Iranian media matched the characteristics of a downed U.S. F-15 fighter jet. U.S. officials previously said the pilot of the F-15E had safely ejected and was rescued by two military helicopters, but another crew member—a weapons systems operator—remained missing.
Trump introduced the news via his social media platform, Truth Social, saying, "We found him! My fellow Americans, in the past several hours, the U.S. military successfully executed one of the most courageous rescue operations in American history, rescuing one of our distinguished crew officers, a highly respected colonel. I’m thrilled to announce to you all that he is now safe and sound!"
Trump added, "This brave warrior was deep behind enemy lines in treacherous mountainous terrain in Iran, pursued by hostile forces closing in. But he was never truly alone, because his Commander-in-Chief, Secretary of War, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and other comrades monitored his location around the clock and diligently planned the rescue operation."
"Under my direction, dozens of aircraft equipped with the world’s most lethal weapons were deployed to rescue him. He sustained injuries, but he will recover. This miraculous rescue follows yesterday’s successful extraction of another courageous pilot. We did not disclose yesterday’s rescue operation because we didn’t want it to interfere with the second mission. This marks the first time in U.S. military history that two American pilots have been rescued separately deep inside enemy territory. We will never abandon any American soldier!"
Trump declared, "Our ability to successfully carry out both operations without any American casualties once again proves that we now fully control the skies over Iran and hold absolute superiority. All Americans—Republican, Democrat, or any other identity—should be proud and united. We possess the most elite, professional, and lethal military in world history."
U.S. officials stated that during Friday’s rescue operation, a U.S. helicopter carrying the rescued pilot came under light weapon fire, resulting in injuries to the crew, though the helicopter landed safely. An A-10 "Warthog" attack aircraft involved in the Friday mission was attacked and damaged. U.S. officials said the pilot of this attack aircraft ejected safely over the Persian Gulf and was successfully rescued.
On Friday, Trump paused other military operations in Iran to prioritize the search and rescue effort, deploying hundreds of special forces personnel to locate the distress signals of the stranded crew members.
A U.S. official and a White House official confirmed to CBS that U.S. Special Forces located the missing crew member during a complex operation involving dozens of special operators and dozens of aircraft and helicopters.
The two officials said the rescued officer has been taken to Kuwait for medical treatment. They also revealed that the intense military operation involved bombs and weapons designed to prevent Iranian forces from approaching the hiding place of the missing officer. They further noted that the officer had only a single handgun for self-defense during his captivity.
Two transport aircraft tasked with evacuating the rescue team could not take off from a remote base inside Iran. Officials said the planes were destroyed to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. The assault team evacuated aboard three additional aircraft that arrived to extract them.
According to officials, the three rescue aircraft flew from Iran to Kuwait, maintaining very short distances between each other. The rescue mission was completed before midnight, and all U.S. personnel had withdrawn from enemy airspace. A senior official from the Trump administration told CBS on Sunday that the CIA was deeply involved in the rescue operation.
Before locating the pilot, the CIA launched a deception campaign inside Iran, spreading false information that U.S. forces had already found him and were transporting him out by land. The official added that while the deception operation was underway, the CIA used its capabilities to track down the crew member hiding in a mountain crevice.
Officials said the CIA then relayed the exact location of the crew member to the Pentagon and the White House. The President issued an immediate order to launch the rescue operation, while the CIA continued providing real-time intelligence. Retired U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Houston Cantwell, a former F-16 fighter pilot, told AP that the downing of this F-15E marked the first time in over 20 years that a U.S. combat aircraft had been shot down in actual warfare.
Since the war began on February 28, at least four U.S. aircraft have been shot down, though the Pentagon stated that three of these were friendly fire incidents. On March 1, U.S. Central Command initially reported that three F-15 fighters were "mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses," an incident that caused no casualties.
Before announcing the news on Sunday, Trump had remained silent regarding the search efforts. On Friday, during a phone interview with the *Independent*, he said he could not comment on what actions he would take if the crew member were captured by Iran. He stated, "Well, I won’t comment on that, because—hopefully, this won’t happen."
Source: rfi
Original: toutiao.com/article/1861620699808768/
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