![\"An](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/070426RESCUEphoto01.jpg\")
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\n\t\t\t\tAn F-15E Strike Eagle takes off for a combat flight during Operation Epic Fury on March 16, 2026. (U.S. Air Force)
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The U.S. Air Force colonel, badly injured after his F-15E was shot down in southern Iran<\/a>, climbed some 7,000 feet up a ridgeline and armed with a handgun. <\/p>\n Iranian forces had launched a massive manhunt, as his capture would have given Tehran leverage with the United States in negotiations to end the war, now in its sixth week.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis 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, but was never truly alone,\u201d President Donald Trump said in a statement early Sunday after the rescue. <\/p>\n For more than 24 hours, the colonel, whose name has not been released, hid in the rugged terrain with a bounty on his head, emitting an emergency beacon in the hope of guiding American special operators to his location, The New York Times reported<\/a>. <\/p>\n Fighter plane crews undergo extensive training on how to evade capture if their aircraft goes down in enemy territory. That training and the military\u2019s mantra to \u201cleave no man behind\u201d were put to the ultimate test in the race to rescue the airman. <\/p>\n The U.S. reportedly mobilized a force made up of fighters, drones, electronic warfare tools, intelligence assets and the military\u2019s most elite special operators to conduct one of its most daring and complex high-stakes rescue operations in recent history. <\/p>\n The Navy\u2019s SEAL Team 6 spearheaded the ground rescue element, with Delta Force and the Rangers waiting in reserve, the Times reported. <\/p>\n Overhead, MQ-9 Reaper\u00a0drones scanned the area, firing when needed to keep enemy fighters at bay, according to The Wall Street Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n To complete the operation, U.S. forces needed to push deep into heavily defended airspace and sustain the effort for more than a day.<\/p>\n Aircraft cycled in waves, inserting forces and extracting personnel under fire as Iranian air defenses and ground units pressed closer, the Times reported. <\/p>\n