In high-stakes mission, US special forces rescue airman from Iran after F-15 crash
The airman was the second member of a two-person crew of an F-15 that Iran said on Friday was brought down by its air defences.
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WASHINGTON: US special operations forces have staged a daring rescue of an airman caught behind enemy lines after Iran shot down his F-15 fighter jet, officials said on Sunday (Apr 5), resolving a major crisis for President Donald Trump as he weighs whether to escalate the five-week-old war on Iran.
"Over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History," according to a statement from Trump posted by White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on X.
Trump said the crew member was injured but "he will be just fine".
The airman, who Trump said held the rank of colonel, was the second member of a two-person crew of an F-15 that Iran said on Friday had been brought down by its air defenses. Reuters reported on Friday that the first member of the crew had been recovered, triggering a high-profile search for the remaining airman by both Iran and the United States.
Iranian officials had called on citizens to help locate the remaining American, hoping to gain leverage against Washington in the war Trump and Israel launched on Feb 28. Trump has threatened to escalate the conflict in the coming days with attacks on Iran's energy infrastructure.
Had Iran captured the airman, the ensuing hostage crisis could have shifted American public perception of a conflict that opinion polls show has already struggled to win popular support.
Trump gave no details of the rescue but said it was the first time in military memory that two U.S. pilots had been rescued, separately, deep in enemy territory.
US AIRCRAFT HIT
The rescue effort, involving dozens of military aircraft, encountered fierce resistance from Iran.
Reuters reported on Friday that two Black Hawk helicopters involved in the search were hit by Iranian fire but escaped from Iranian airspace.
In a separate incident, a pilot ejected from an A-10 Warthog fighter aircraft after it was hit over Kuwait and crashed, the officials said, though the extent of crew injuries was unclear.
Still, Trump was triumphant.
"The fact that we were able to pull off both of these operations, without a SINGLE American killed, or even wounded, just proves once again, that we have achieved overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority over the Iranian skies," he said in his statement.
U.S. air crews are trained in what to do if they go down behind enemy lines, measures known as Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE), but few are fluent in Persian and face a challenge in staying undetected while seeking rescue.
The conflict has killed 13 US military service members, with more than 300 wounded, the US Central Command says. No US troops have been taken prisoner by Iran.
While Trump has repeatedly sought to portray the Iranian military as being in tatters, it is noteworthy that they have repeatedly been able to hit U.S. aircraft, military experts say.
Reuters first reported on US intelligence showing that Iran retains large amounts of missile and drone capability.
Until just over a week ago, the US could only determine with certainty that it had destroyed about one-third of Iran's missile arsenal.
The status of about another third was less clear, but bombings probably damaged, destroyed or buried those missiles in underground tunnels and bunkers, Reuters sources said.
The U.S. and Israeli war on Iran has spread across the Middle East, killing thousands and hitting the global economy with soaring energy prices that are fueling fears of inflation.
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