A wounded American airman, armed only with a handgun and trapped deep behind enemy lines, had a very low survival rate as Iranian militants closed in.
But the mission – considered by experts to be the most challenging in special forces history – involved hundreds of elite soldiers, dozens of aircraft and a CIA deception operation.
Commandos of the famous Navy SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden descended into a remote mountainous area to rescue a seriously injured airman.
The pilot and weapon systems officer (WSO), who sit in the back and are also known as backsitters, were both forced to eject when their F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down by Iranian air defenses on Friday.
The pilot was rescued within a few hours but WSO, a highly experienced aviator of the rank of Colonel, could not be located.
It led to a desperate life-or-death race between American and Iranian forces to reach it first.
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Firefight erupts in daring special operations raid as US rescues downed pilot in Iran
The mullahs placed a £50,000 bounty on his head, resulting in hordes of semi-nomadic tribals – who survive on a weekly salary of £35 – joining the hunt armed with AK47s.
Incredible details of how the pilot survived and the daring mission to rescue him emerge after Donald Trump’s announcement news He was found safe and well just after 5am UK time.
He managed to bail out and parachute to land safely without Iranian forces noticing his landing location.
Suffering serious leg injuries and armed only with a handgun, he unbuckled his harness and immediately put his survival, evasion, resistance and escape training into practice.
To avoid the locals, the airman began climbing the nearest peak, at one point hiding in a crevice before climbing to a 7,000-foot mountain peak and waiting for help to arrive.
All flight crews are equipped with a beacon as well as a secure communications device to transmit their location to central command.
But it appears that the CIA played a key role in pinpointing his location.
While Special Forces units were fine-tuning the details of their combat search and rescue mission in preparation for his discovery, CIA spies began a deception operation.
Using local contacts and other methods, they spread rumors that the airman had been rescued and was being evacuated. iran In a ground convoy.
They also contacted local farmers and herders, who are not extremely loyal to the regime, in the hope that they could assist, a strategy known as “unconventional assisted recovery”.
Dozens of aircraft, including Black Hawk and HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters, were in the sky when the F-15 went down searching for the crew.
A C-130 Hercules transporter aircraft and an HC-130J Combat King II – America’s only dedicated personnel recovery aircraft – also collided.
On board were various special forces units, including Pararescuemen, America’s primary search and rescue unit.
Called the “tip of the spear” for difficult rescues, the Pararescue Unit is one of the most highly trained special forces in the world.
Part of the 52nd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron, they drop into the combat zone with a 470-square-foot parachute, twice the size of a regular chute, so they can carry massive amounts of equipment, including an 80-pound parachute pack that holds emergency medical kits such as blood packs.
They often work with other Special Forces units, including Navy SEAL Team 6 on this mission, which killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a night-time raid in Pakistan in 2011.
After more than 24 hours of hard work, the CIA finally located the airman on Saturday.
He praised the Pentagon for its coordinates and the incredible rescue operation. Hollywood The thriller comes into action.
Israel assisted by launching a major attack on over 120 targets, effectively laying down a vast carpet of covering fire.
According to a US official, US troops did the same, bombing and firing at the Iranian military convoy to clear the way for “one of the most challenging and complex missions in the history of US special operations”.
Under the cover of darkness late Saturday night – and with large numbers of Iranian troops approaching – Navy SEALs landed close to the airmen on an HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter.
He conducted a quick identification check, a process that probably included at least one question based on information in his Separate Personnel Report (ISOPREP) that only he would know the answer to.
The document, held by his unit’s intelligence section, included photographs, fingerprints and personal information and was passed on to those coordinating his rescue.
As the SEALs were verifying his ID, MQ-9 Reaper drones were helping maintain the ring of steel by firing at Iranian military-aged men who were believed to be a threat if they came within two miles.
Iranian officials later said ten people had been killed in the province.
Once the airman’s ID was confirmed he was boarded a ‘Jolly Green’ copter and flown to Kuwait for medical treatment.
But in a final, heart-stopping twist, two MC-130 military transport aircraft taking part in the operation got stuck in the sand at a temporary air base built by the USAF in a remote area.
Three other aircraft had to be scrambled to rescue the crew and Special Forces troops destroyed the stranded aircraft to prevent sensitive information from falling into Iranian hands.
Later published images revealed at least two MH-6M Little birdsHelicopters used in special operations were also destroyed.
Trump has described the stunning rescue as an “Easter miracle.”
The President revealed that he was seriously injured but “will make a perfect recovery”.
He later messaged reporters: “The rescue was an ‘Easter miracle. The enemy was big and violent. The rescuers were brilliant, strong, decisive and as cool as anyone could be.'”
It was feared that the WSO may have died in the crash after the pilot was declared rescued.
One American official praised the CIA’s deception campaign, saying: “While the Iranians were confused and unsure what was happening, the Agency used its unique, excellent capabilities to search for and find the American.
“It was the ultimate ‘needle in a haystack’, but in this case it was a brave American soul inside a mountain crevice, invisible but to the capabilities of the CIA.”
The mission was celebrated in the US and Israel under the leadership of Mr Trump, who described it as “one of the most daring search and rescue operations in US history”.
He said: “This brave warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran Hunt By our enemies, who were coming closer to us hour by hour.
“The fact that we were able to conduct both of these operations, without a single American being killed or injured, proves once again that we have achieved overwhelming air dominance and superiority over Iranian skies.”
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said, “I congratulate donald trump On the rescue of a brave American pilot by America’s brave warriors.
“All Israelis are happy with this remarkable operation.”
Mike Waltz, US Ambassador to the United Nations and former Army Green Beret, said, “America breathes a sigh of relief. More amazing work by my special operations brothers.”
Meanwhile, the Pope appealed for peace in his Easter blessing at the Vatican.
Pope leo XIV urged “those who have Power Criticized global indifference towards “choosing peace” rather than “waging war” and “the deaths of thousands of people”.
