The rescue operation involved hundreds of special forces troops and military personnel, as well as dozens of U.S. warplanes and helicopters.
After the crash landing, the colonel hiked to an elevated ridge and activated an emergency beacon, which allowed U.S. forces to locate him, two U.S. officials told Fox News.
At the same time, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it was searching the area near where the pilot’s plane came down, and Iranian officials issued a public plea for locals to find the crew member, offering a reward of $60,000.
Videos posted online showed locals from the area where the jet went down forming search parties to find the airman. According to the New York Times, U.S. aircraft dropped bombs on convoys that approached the area where the airman was hiding.
When the airman was found, he was taken to two MC-130J aircraft that were waiting nearby to exfiltrate him out of the country. But the aircraft malfunctioned, which led to U.S. forces destroying at least one of them, a U.S. official told Reuters.
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