“We got it, we will never leave a US soldier behind”

The president of the United States, Donald Trump, said this Sunday on the Truth social network that US forces managed to locate and rescue alive the American pilot who was missing in Iranian territory after the downing of a war fighter.

“WE DID IT! My fellow Americans, in the last few hours, the United States Armed Forces carried out one of the most daring search and rescue operations in the history of the country, to rescue one of our incredible crew officers,” Trump said in his post.

On Friday, Iran shot down a US F-15 fighter on its territory for the first time since the war in the Middle East began on February 28. One of the two crew members was rescued, but the other remained missing, sparking a frantic search.

The American president specified that the rescued person is “safe and sound” despite confirming that he received injuries, without revealing the severity of these.

“This brave warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, pursued by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer, but he was never truly alone,” said the Washington leader, assuring that they were closely monitoring his location while planning the rescue.

“We will never abandon an American soldier!” Trump stressed, noting that no soldier was injured or killed during the rescue operation, of which he did not provide further details.

Around the same time as the F-15 was shot down, a second military aircraft, an A-10 Warthog, crashed near the Strait of Hormuz. The only crew member of that ship was rescued alive.