Tragic end to Morocco search as second missing US soldier found

The remains of the second US Army soldier reported missing during military exercises in Morocco have been recovered, bringing an end to an extensive multinational search operation involving American and Moroccan forces, reports The Associated Press on May 14th.

The soldier was identified as 19-year-old Spc. Mariyah Symone Collington of Florida, according to a statement released on May 13th. Moroccan military forces transported her remains by helicopter to a military hospital in Guelmim, southern Morocco.

Collington and another soldier, 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., went missing on May 2nd after falling from a cliff during an off-duty recreational hike while participating in African Lion 2026, a large-scale multinational military exercise. Key’s remains were recovered earlier this week, with both soldiers now being returned to the United States.

The disappearance triggered a major search effort involving more than 1,000 American and Moroccan military and civilian personnel. Search teams deployed a range of advanced technology, including unmanned aerial systems, thermal imaging sensors, side-scan sonar equipment and a US Navy P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. Moroccan naval assets and US Coast Guard drift modelling capabilities were also used during the operation.

A spokesperson for the US Army Southern European Task Force, Africa, said the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.

Collington served as an air and missile defense crew member assigned to Charlie Battery, 5th Battalion, 4th Air Defense Artillery Regiment in Germany. She joined the Army through the Delayed Entry Program in 2023 before beginning active-duty service in 2024. She had recently been promoted to specialist earlier this month.

African Lion 2026 is a US-led military exercise taking place across Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal, involving more than 7,000 personnel from over 30 nations.

The exercises have previously seen fatal incidents. In 2012, two US Marines were killed and two others injured in a helicopter crash near Agadir during the same military drills.

The Associated Press, Maghrebi.org