Navy Seal Team 6 led the mission with support from US attack aircraft
\n WASHINGTON
\nAmerican commandos deployed deep into Iranian territory to rescue a downed airman, US news outlets reported on Sunday, hours after President Donald Trump announced that the crew member had been recovered \u201csafe and sound.\u201d
\nTehran said this week it had shot down an F-15 warplane, the first US fighter jet to go down inside Iran since the start of the war. Washington has not confirmed the details of how the fighter went down.
\nTrump said early on Sunday the US military had \u201cpulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. [US] History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND!\u201d
\nNavy Seal Team 6 commandos were tasked with extracting the airman, while US attack aircraft dropped bombs and opened fire on Iranian convoys to keep them away, the New York Times reported, citing an unidentified official.
\nThe airman, a weapon systems officer, was wounded after the ejection but could still walk, evading capture in the mountains for more than a day, according to news outlet Axios, which cited a US official.
\nThe unidentified airman was equipped with a pistol, a beacon and a secure communications device to coordinate with rescuers, the New York Times reported.
\nAmerican commandos converging on the officer fired their weapons to keep Iranian forces away from the rescue site, the Times said.
\nTrump wrote on his Truth Social platform that he had directed the US military to send \u201cdozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve\u201d him.
\n\u201cHe sustained injuries, but he will be just fine,\u201d Trump wrote.
\nTwo of the planes meant to transport the airman and his rescuers to safety were stuck in a remote base in Iran and had to be destroyed to prevent them from falling into Iranian hands, the New York Times and CBS reported.
\nUS forces then used three other transport planes to carry the airman and his rescuers out of Iran.
\nThe Iranian military said on Sunday the US operation to rescue the airman had used an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan province.
\n\u201cThe so-called US military rescue operation, planned as a deception and escape mission at an abandoned airport in southern Isfahan under the pretext of recovering the pilot of a downed aircraft, was completely foiled,\u201d said Ebrahim Zolfaghari, spokesman for the Iranian military\u00b4s central command.
\nZolfaghari also said two US \u201cC-130 military transport planes and two Black Hawk helicopters were destroyed\u201d.
\nThe CIA reportedly launched a deception campaign to spread word inside Iran that US forces were moving the airman out of the country on the ground.
\nIn his post, Trump also confirmed the \u201csuccessful rescue of another brave Pilot, yesterday,\u201d adding it was not disclosed to avoid jeopardising the second rescue mission.
\n\u201cThis is the first time in military memory that two U.S.[US] Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory,\u201d he wrote, adding that both operations were concluded \u201cwithout a SINGLE American killed, or even wounded.\u201d
\nAFP has contacted the White House and the Pentagon for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Navy Seal Team 6 led the mission with support from US attack aircraft WASHINGTON American commandos deployed deep into Iranian territory to rescue a downed airman, US news outlets reported on Sunday, hours after President Donald Trump announced that the crew member had been recovered \u201csafe and sound.\u201d Tehran said this week it had shot […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":540265,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-540248","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n