US Soldier Found Dead in Morocco During African Lion Exercise

By Staff, Agencies

The body of one of two US soldiers who went missing during the African Lion military exercise in Morocco has been recovered from the Atlantic Ocean, military officials confirmed on Sunday.

The deceased soldier has been identified as 1^st Lieutenant Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., 27, an Air Defense Artillery officer from Richmond, Virginia. According to the US Army, a Moroccan military search team discovered his remains along the shoreline around 8:55 AM local time on May 9, approximately one mile from the location where the two soldiers were believed to have entered the water.

Key served as a platoon leader with Charlie Battery, 5^th Battalion, 4^th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 10^th Army Air and Missile Defense Command.

The two soldiers were reported missing on May 2 near the Cap Draa Training Area outside Tan-Tan, a coastal region characterized by cliffs, desert, and semidesert plains. They had participated in African Lion 26 earlier that day but were off duty during a recreational hike when they reportedly fell from a cliff. The second soldier remains missing, with search efforts ongoing.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the efforts of our Moroccan hosts and our teammates from across the services, who continue to dedicate resources to locating our remaining soldier,” Gen. Christopher Donahue, commander of US Army Europe and Africa, said.

The search operation has involved more than 600 personnel from the US, Morocco and partner forces, utilizing frigates, vessels, helicopters, drones, divers and ground teams. US Africa Command [AFRICOM] confirmed that coordinated search-and-rescue efforts were immediately launched by US, Moroccan, and other African Lion assets.

African Lion is AFRICOM’s largest annual joint exercise, aimed at strengthening interoperability among US forces, NATO allies and African partner nations. This year’s drills, held from April 20 to May 8 across Ghana, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia, involved over 5,600 civilian and military personnel from more than 40 countries.

Fatal incidents have occurred during the exercise in the past. In 2012, an MV-22 Osprey crashed in a Moroccan training area during African Lion drills, resulting in the deaths of two US Marines and serious injuries to two others.