Remains of second US soldier who went missing during military exercises in Morocco have been recovered

The remains of the second US army soldier who went missing during military exercises in Morocco have been recovered, the army said on Wednesday, ending a multinational search operation that deployed air, naval and artificial intelligence assets.The soldier was identified as Spc Mariyah Symone Collington of Taveres, Florida, the US Army Europe and Africa said in a statement. She was 19 years old.“Royal Moroccan Armed Forces transported the soldier’s remains by a Moroccan helicopter to the morgue of Moulay El Hassan military hospital in Guelmim, Morocco,” the statement said.Collington served as an air and missile defense crew member and was assigned to Charlie battery, fifth battalion, fourth air defense artillery regiment, 10th army air and missile defense command, US Army Europe and Africa said.Collington entered the Regular Army’s Delayed Entry Program in 2023 before beginning active-duty service in 2024. She completed basic combat training and advanced individual training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, as a 14P air and missile defense crew member. She reported to Charlie battery, fifth battalion, fourth air defense artillery regiment, in Ansbach, Germany, in February 2025 and was promoted to specialist on 1 May 2026.Her awards and decorations include the army service ribbon.The announcement came days after the military said the remains of another soldier, 1st Lt Kendrick Lamont Key Jr, a 14A air defense artillery officer, had been recovered. The two soldiers fell off a cliff during an off-duty recreational hike in Morocco. Their remains are en route to the United States.A spokesperson for the US Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF) told the Associated Press that the circumstances surrounding the incident remain under investigation.The two soldiers were reported missing on 2 May after participating in African Lion, an annual multinational military exercise held in Morocco. Their disappearance triggered a search operation involving more than 1,000 US and Moroccan military and civilian personnel, the SETAF-AF spokesperson added.African Lion 26 is a US-led exercise launched in April across four countries – Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal – with more than 7,000 personnel from more than 30 nations. Since 2004, it has been the largest US joint military exercise in Africa.In 2012, two US marines were killed and two others injured during a helicopter crash in Morocco’s southern city of Agadir while taking part in the exercises.