The risky night mission to rescue downed US airman deep inside Iran
Eric Schmitt, Helene Cooper And Greg Jaffe
Washington: An Air Force officer whose fighter jet was shot down in Iran was rescued by U.S. Special Operations forces on Saturday night (U.S. time) in a risky mission that took the commandos deep into enemy territory, current and former U.S. officials briefed on the operation said.
The rescue followed a two-day life-or-death race between U.S. and Iranian forces to reach the injured airman, officials said. Finally, US commandos took out the officer in a massive operation involving hundreds of special operations soldiers.
The two crew members of the F-15E Strike Eagle, the first aircraft lost to enemy fire in the month-long war, were kicked out of the cockpit on Friday after the Iranian army shot down their plane. The jet’s pilot was quickly rescued, but the weapons systems officer could not be found, prompting an urgent search that would have major consequences for US President Donald Trump and the war the US and Israel launched on February 28.
Finding the downed airman, who was hiding with only a pistol for defense, had been the US military’s top priority over the past 48 hours.
The mission to rescue the crew member involved hundreds of special forces troops, dozens of U.S. warplanes, helicopters and cyber, space and other intelligence capabilities.
US attack planes dropped bombs and opened fire to keep Iranian convoys away from the area where the airmen were hiding. Two former senior military officials who provided information about the operation said that a conflict broke out as US forces approached the downed airman.
The airman was equipped with a beacon and a secure communications device to coordinate with forces executing the rescue.
A senior US military official described the mission to rescue the airman as one of the most challenging and complex missions in the history of US special operations.
In a latest development, after the weapons officer was rescued, two transport planes that were supposed to carry the commandos and airmen to safety were stranded at a remote base in Iran. Commanders decided to fly in three new planes to extract all U.S. military personnel and airmen, and they blew up the two malfunctioning planes rather than placing them in Iranian hands.
The F-15E fighter jet was shot down in a part of Iran where there is significant opposition to the Iranian government. As a result, the airman was able to rely on local people for shelter and assistance.
The accident also attracted the attention of Iranian military forces, which scoured the area. The Iranian government asked locals for help finding the downed airman and offered a reward for his capture.
The CIA also often plays a role in making contact with civilians who want to help defenseless troops survive; this process is known as “unconventional assisted rescue.”
