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Moroccan Forces Recover US Lt. Key’s Remains, Soldier Missing

5/11/2026

40 9 Full Breakdown

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Moroccan Forces Recover

Moroccan forces located 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr.’s remains at 8:55 a.m., about a mile from where soldiers entered water.
The body of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr. was recovered near Cap Draa, while a U.S. soldier remains missing.
Over 1,000 U.S. and Moroccan personnel, aircraft and unmanned systems participated in the joint search.
Brig. Gen. Curtis King and Gen. Christopher Donahue thanked Morocco, pledging to repatriate Key’s remains.

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African Lion Paused

African Lion 2026 exercise paused after U.S. soldiers fell from a cliff during a hike near Morocco’s Cap Draa.
Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr., 27, was dead May 9 after falling into ocean Morocco’s Cap Draa cliffs, companion missing.
African Lion’s second fatal accident, after a 2012 helicopter crash killed two Marines.
Over 1,000 U.S. and Moroccan personnel, with aircraft and drones, joined the search.

History

Historical Context

The African Lion joint drill began in 2004 as a U.S.–Morocco bilateral exercise to build interoperability and regional security. Managed by USAFRICOM and the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces, it has grown from modest command-post drills to a multi-domain event involving over 7,000 troops in 2021. The 2026 iteration, with roughly 1,000 participants, follows that expansion and now faces renewed safety reviews after a fatal accident.

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Moroccan Forces Recover

Moroccan forces located 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr.’s remains at 8:55 a.m., about a mile from where soldiers entered water.
The body of 1st Lt. Kendrick Lamont Key Jr. was recovered near Cap Draa, while a U.S. soldier remains missing.
Over 1,000 U.S. and Moroccan personnel, aircraft and unmanned systems participated in the joint search.
Brig. Gen. Curtis King and Gen. Christopher Donahue thanked Morocco, pledging to repatriate Key’s remains.

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