While Trump hails ‘daring’ airman rescue in Iran, Chinese experts count US wins and losses
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Sepah News website published this image on Sunday, saying a US aircraft that had been searching for the crew member of a missing US fighter jet had been destroyed.
US President Donald Trump said earlier that the second crew member from the American fighter jet that crashed inside Iran was “SAFE and SOUND” after being rescued.
Photo: Sepah/AFP The rescue of a missing American crew member after Iran shot down an F-15E fighter jet shows the United States’ “comprehensive capability” for carrying out high-risk rescue operations, according to Chinese analysts.
On Sunday, United States President Donald Trump confirmed that the missing crew member – one of two on the fighter jet shot down over the southern part of Iran on Friday – had been rescued amid the US-Israel war on Iran.
Trump posted to social media that the US military had “pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations” in its history and that the rescued airman was “SAFE and SOUND!” despite being “seriously wounded”.
Both Washington and Tehran had been in a race to locate the missing air force officer after the F-15E fighter jet was brought down by Iran’s air-defence system, according to Iranian officials.
It was the first manned US aircraft shot down over Iran since the war began on February 28.
The pilot of the aircraft had earlier been rescued by the US military.
Tehran’s state media disclosed images of alleged debris near the southern Iranian city of Isfahan, after reports on Friday that the jet had been shot down.
Tehran had offered the Iranian public a reward to hand over the missing airman in an attempt to capture an American prisoner of war.
The rescue of crew from a jet brought down in hostile territory – known as a combat search and rescue (CSAR) mission – is considered among the highest risk and most complex military missions.
It requires special operations teams who are often accompanied by helicopters to find, support and recover missing personnel before they are captured, all while potentially under enemy fire.
According to US media reports, the missing crew member spent more than 24 hours alone, hiking and hiding in Iran’s mountainous terrains at about 2,000m altitude.
After the rescue operation he was transferred to Kuwait for medical treatment.
A US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft takes off on March 14 for a mission during Operation Epic Fury.
Photo: Handout Trump said the CIA monitored the airman’s location an
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