US airman injured but safe after rescue from inside Iran, Trump says

7 hours agoMichael Sheils McNameeGetty ImagesA second US crew member who was missing in Iran after an American F-15 fighter jet was shot down has been rescued.Posting to social media, US President Donald Trump said the rescued weapons systems officer had "sustained injuries" but would be "just fine", describing the rescue as "one of the most daring search and rescue operations in US history". Following the downing of the aircraft on Friday, both the pilot and crew member ejected - with the pilot recovered shortly afterwards. Following this, both the US and Iran scrambled to locate the missing crew member in a mountainous region of southwestern Iran. The search presented a serious test for the US, with the possibility of a prisoner of war situation if Iran found the missing airman - something which would have likely involved him being used as part of propaganda material. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was said to have launched its own search for the missing American, reportedly using troops and locals, and offering them a reward of about $66,000 (£50,000) to capture him alive.Videos on social media appeared to show hundreds of people heading to a mountainous area in south-western Iran to search for the missing US airman.Details of the second airman being rescued emerged in US media late on Saturday night. A short time later, Trump confirmed the successful mission on Truth Social, writing "WE GOT HIM!", adding the crew member was a "respected colonel".The US rescue operation was described to the BBC as "huge" by one person familiar with the details.The BBC understands that there was an engagement between the US and Iranian forces during the rescue, and that the pilot may have been injured during his initial ejection from the aircraft.Tasnim, the semi-official news agency associated with the IRGC, said five Iranians were killed during the operation. Trump said dozens of aircraft had been involved in the operation, with the White House not giving an update after the pilot was recovered on Friday to protect the ongoing rescue. Earlier reports suggested the missing crew member might be in the mountainous area of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, in the southwestern regions of Iran.Officials told the BBC's US partner CBS News that the crew member spent more than 24 hours on his own, hiding in the mountains with a handgun.A senior official also told CBS that the CIA played a crucial in the rescue mission by tracking the airman in a mountain crevice and passing his exact location to the Pentagon.The agency engaged in a deception campaign inside Iran, reports said. While the rescue attempt was taking place, the agency spread word the airman had already been found and was being extracted from Iran.Meanwhile, Iran's IRGC previously said that nomadic tribes living in the country's mountains shot two Black Hawk helicopters that were part of the US rescue mission.BBC Verify has confirmed a video from Friday showing what appears to be three armed individuals firing towards at least two Black Hawk helicopters.The rescue operation reportedly included an A-10 Warthog aircraft which was hit over the Gulf, with its pilot ejecting before being rescued.The recovery of the F-15 crew member comes as intense fighting continues in the region.On Sunday morning, authorities in Abu Dhabi said they were battling fires at a Borouge petrochemical facility caused by falling debris from an Iranian missile. There were also report of attacks on Kuwait and Israel overnight into Sunday.