ToplineTwo U.S. service members are missing in Morocco on Saturday as the U.S. conducts military exercises in Africa, the U.S. African Command said in a statement on Sunday morning amid search and rescue efforts.A U.S. tank fires during the 2022 African Lion exercise in Morocco.AFP via Getty ImagesKey FactsThe two service members were reported missing near the Cap Draa Training Area near the city of Tan-Tan, located in southwestern Morocco, and U.S. and Moroccan troops are conducting search and rescue operations.The Moroccan military said the service members went missing around 9 p.m. on Saturday night, the Associated Press reported, and also told Reuters the service members went missing near a cliff.The military released few details about the missing service members, and it was not immediately clear what branch of the armed services they served in.The service members were participating in the African Lion exercises, U.S. African Command said in another statement on social media, an annual joint exercise with U.S. military partners and hosted by Morocco, Tunisia, Ghana and Senegal.This is a breaking story and will be updated.Key BackgroundAfrican Lion is the largest annual military exercise conducted by U.S. forces in Africa, and is intended to “strengthen interoperability” between the U.S. military and its allies. According to the Pentagon, these exercises involve over 5,500 troops from more than 40 countries. The exercise has been held annually since 2004, and this is not the first time U.S. service members have been involved in an accident related to the war games. In 2012, two Marines were killed and two more wounded after an MV-22 Osprey aircraft crashed southwest of Agadir, another city in southwestern Morocco.