A missing US crew member whose fighter jet was shot down over Iran has been rescued by US forces, President Donald Trump stated in a Truth Social submit early Sunday.
“WE GOT HIM! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND!” Trump wrote.
“At my direction, the U.S. Military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve him. He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine,” he added. “WE WILL NEVER LEAVE AN AMERICAN WARFIGHTER BEHIND!”
The high-stakes search started this week after the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet was shot down in the area. Another crew member was rescued alive shortly after the crash and is now receiving medical consideration, NCS beforehand reported.
Trump additionally confirmed this earlier rescue, claiming on Truth Social that “this is the first time in military memory that two U.S. Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory.”
It wasn’t instantly clear the place in Iran the jet went down.
The rescue comes after greater than a day of uncertainty over the airman’s destiny, with Iranian state media promising rewards for his seize and reporting on Iranian tribesmen capturing at US helicopters concerned in the search effort.
The incident marked the primary time a manned US plane was shot down over Iran through the battle. Near the start of the battle, three F-15s have been mistakenly shot down in a pleasant fireplace incident by Kuwaiti air defenses.
It comes as Trump administration officers have made repeated claims that the battle is basically gained, and that the US has air superiority over the nation.
The F-15 “has the capability to fight its way to a target over long ranges, destroy enemy ground positions and fight its way out,” in accordance with the Air Force. In the rear cockpit, the weapons programs officer displays the plane’s standing, checks for potential threats and selects targets, an Air Force data web page says.
Later Friday, a second US army airplane — an A-10 Thunderbolt II — was struck by Iran, forcing the pilot to eject, in accordance with a US official aware of the matter. The pilot of the A-10, also called a Warthog, was in a position to navigate the airplane out of Iranian territory earlier than ejecting from the plane and was subsequently rescued, the official stated.