An Air Force officer whose fighter jet had been shot down in Iran was rescued by U.S. Special Operations forces in a risky Saturday night mission that took commandos deep into enemy territory.
President Trump: “WE GOT HIM! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Office Members, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is SAFE and SOUND!”
The Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) relied on his SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) training to evade capture.
After hiking away from the wreckage, he took up a defensive position on an elevated ridge and activated his emergency beacon.
U.S. Special Operations forces launched a complex, multi-layered rescue mission to recover the downed airman while simultaneously holding off Iranian forces actively hunting him.
The operation involved Air Force Pararescuemen (PJs) and elite units from multiple branches of the U.S. military.
Fox has learned that there was direct fighting on the ground during the rescue, but no American personnel were killed.
“It was a very complex operation to retrieve the downed service member,” a well-placed source briefed on the details told me.
Multiple branches of the U.S. military participated in the effort.
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