> Pilots rescued - Iran owned

The US rescued a missing F-15E airman deep inside Iran with an incredibly complex and daring mission that involved SEAL Team 6, a CIA ruse, a hastily constructed forward air strip in hostile territory and patrols of friendly aircraft that gave the Air Force colonel cover.

A life-or-death race between US and Iranian forces to find the “seriously injured” weapons officer outside Isfahan over two days culminated in the crew member’s extraction by America’s most elite commandos and a fire fight with local militias that were hunting for him, according to a report in the New York Times.

The unnamed officer hid out in the mountains and managed to climb a 7,000-foot ridge in order to evade capture while American MQ-9 Reaper drones pounded nearby Iranian forces with missiles if they got close to his position, according to reports.

“He evaded up a 7k ridge. They’ve been schwackin’ dudes chasing him all day. Was nuts,” a source told Toby Harnden, the veteran war correspondant and author.

In an effort to confuse the Iranians, who put a $60,000 bounty (more than 10 times the average household income) on the officer’s head, the CIA pulled off a diversion — planting fake intel that he had already been rescued and was being driven out of Iran, according to the Times.

The operation involved landing multiple transport aircraft inside Iranian territory just south of the city of Isfahan, some 200 miles inside the country.

Two of the aircraft — believed to be MC-130J Commando IIs, specialized, high-tech transport planes, became stuck at the forward airfield in Iran — and three more aircraft were dispatched to pick up the US forces left stranded there, according to the Times.

The two MC-130Js — each worth around $100 million — were demolished in place so as not to fall into enemy hands.

Photos from Iran show the burned out wreckage of multiple aircraft, believed to be the planes.

There were no US deaths among the rescue team, and all the commandos and the weapons officer involved returned safety, a senior US military official said.

The injured airman has been flown to Kuwait for medical treatment in a rescue plane.

On Friday, the first of the two pilots was rescued during another daring operation.

“WE GOT HIM!” President Trump confirmed in a Truth Social post. “This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour.”

In a later post, he said, “this type of raid is seldom attempted because of the danger to ‘man and equipment.'”

The president said he would hold a news conference with the military at the Oval Office on Monday at 1:00 p.m. in the aftermath of the successful operation.

wrote:

I read a report that they also abandoned four MH-6 helicopters used in the operation.  I'm assuming the MH-6s were carried in the C-130s and didn't have the range to fly out on their own?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FunqTjC … 9yeQ%3D%3D

The US Air Force colonel shot down over Iran was seriously wounded but still climbed a 7,000-foot ridge and hid in a crevice to evade capture for 36 hours — even with bounty-hunters on his tail.

The cool-as-a-cucumber American hero, who has yet to be publicly identified, spent one and a half days hiding in the Zagros Mountains range and dodging the enemy after his F-15E went down in hostile territory Friday.

Despite his injuries, the weapons officer was able to climb more than 1.3 miles and avoid detection from blood-thirsty nearby Iranian fighters spurred by the chance to capture an American soldier and the $60,000 bounty placed on his head, the New York Times reported.

“Thousands of these savages were hunting him down,” President Trump told Axios of the harrowing situation.

The officer was armed with only a handgun as he awaited rescue, which occurred partly thanks to the emergency beacon he sent out from a crevice along a mountain early Sunday local time, CBS News reported.

Trump and his team initially feared that the signal could be a trap to lure more American soldiers into a dangerous situation.

A US defense official said that before the colonel’s extraction, the weapons officer submitted a short, unusual message over the radio that said, “God is good.”

“What he said on the radio sounded like something a Muslim would say,” Trump told Axios, referencing the Islamic phrase “Allahu Akbar,” or “God is Great.”

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted the same phrase, “God is good,” on X after the hero was rescued.

The officer’s pilot had already been rescued just hours after their F-15E was shot down.

It’s not clear what injuries the colonel suffered, but they have been described as serious by US officials.

With the help of the CIA, military officials were able to track the colonel’s equipment to his exact location and confirm his status, according to the Times.

Along with helping tracking the officer, the CIA pulled off a diversion tactic that saw the US plant fake intel that the soldier had already been rescued and was being driven out of Iran, the Times reported.

When it was time to act, a  massive broad daylight operation was launched involving dozens of aircraft and MQ-9 Reaper drones providing a protective perimeter and striking any hostile forces that got within 2 miles of the airman’s position, the Jerusalem Post reported.

The complex operation involved 100 Special Operations forces, led by Seal Team 6, with Delta Force commandos and Army Rangers on standby, according to the Times.

US special ops commandos also engaged in skirmishes with local tribesmen during the hunt for the pilot.

The rescue mission ran into last-minute trouble when two aircraft stationed with a force just south of the city of Isfahan became stuck, forcing the US to dispatch three more aircraft to pick up the stranded forces and destroy the trapped vehicles lest they fall into enemy hands.

The injured airman has been flown to Kuwait for medical treatment in a rescue plane.

Trump, who boasted about the rescue Sunday, said he would hold a news conference with the military at the Oval Office on Monday at 1 p.m. about the successful operation.