US rescues Air Force officer after daring mission in Iranian territory

New York, April 5: A US Air Force officer whose jet was shot down in Iran hid in a mountain crevice and hiked up to 7,000 feet to evade the enemy before he was rescued by the American forces after a two-day “life-or-death” mission, the New York Times said.
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump called an “amazing show of bravery and talent” by all the rescue operation for the pilot for whom the Iranian regime had offered a reward.
“We have rescued the seriously wounded, and really brave, F-15 Crew Member/Officer, from deep inside the mountains of Iran. The Iranian Military was looking hard, in big numbers, and getting close,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social calling the rescued crew as “a highly respected Colonel.”
“This type of raid is seldom attempted because of the danger to ‘man and equipment.’ It just doesn’t happen! The second raid came after the first one, where we rescued the pilot in broad daylight, also unusual, spending seven hours over Iran. An AMAZING show of bravery and talent by all!” he added.
The White House also declared on its social media handles: “We will never leave an American warfighter behind.”
Detailing the rescue operation, a report in the New York Times said the Air Force officer was rescued by the US Special Operations forces in a “risky mission” on Saturday night.
The US fighter jet, an F-15E Strike Eagle, had been shot down by Iran over the southwestern part of the country on Friday.
Two crew members on the plane were able to eject from it and while the pilot was rescued soon afterward, an urgent search was launched for the other airman.
“After ejecting from the F-15E, the officer hid in a mountain crevice. He evaded Iranian forces for more than 24 hours, at one point hiking up a 7,000-foot ridgeline. His location was initially unknown to the United States but the C.I.A. found his hiding place,” the report said, quoting information shared by senior administration officials.
American aircraft dropped bombs and opened fire on Iranian convoys to keep them away from where the airman was hiding, the report said.
Iran’s regime had offered a reward for the capture of “enemy’s pilot or pilots,” who it said should be turned over alive to security forces, according to a local affiliate of Iran’s state broadcaster, the NYT reported. (PTI)