Video purported to show tribesmen searching for missing American crew members
The U.S. military continues to search for the crew of an F-15 fighter jet shot down over Iran on Friday, officials said.
The US military and the White House have not commented on the situation or the status of the crew. White House press secretary Caroline Levitt previously said US President Donald Trump had been briefed on the matter.
State-run Iranian media reported on the ground that tribesmen opened fire on a U.S. military helicopter searching for missing soldiers.
Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported that tribesmen opened fire on two Black Hawk helicopters in remote mountainous areas of Kogil-e-Boyer Ahmad province and Bakhtiari region.
Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency said the search for the missing crew had “so far been unsuccessful.” Separately, the Fars broadcast anchor said a reward would be offered to anyone who captured an “enemy pilot or pilots.”
The semi-official Mehr News also circulated a statement from the governors of Kogiruye and Boyer Ahmad states that claims that the US had rescued the missing crew were “enemy tactics.”
The other F-15 crew member was rescued and is receiving treatment in U.S. custody, officials said.
Mitchell McCluskey, Kareem El Damanhoury, Kathryn Nichols, Haley Britsky, Alaina Trine, Allegra Goodwin, Brad Rendon, Isaac Yee, Kevin Liptak and Kristen Holmes contributed reporting.
