By New York Post. The tough-as-nails 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. (Read more from “How Seriously Wounded US Airman Climbed Mountain, Hid in Crevice and Dodged Iranian Bounty-Hunters for 36 hours” HERE)
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How US used SEAL Team 6, a CIA ruse and death from above to rescue missing F-15 airman in Iran: ‘They’ve been schwackin’ dudes chasing him’
By New York Post. 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 firefight with local militias that were hunting for him, according to a report in the New York Times.
The unnamed officer, who was shot down on Good Friday in southwestern Iran, hid out in the Zagros Mountains and managed to climb a 7,000-foot ridge to evade capture for 36 hours with just a handgun for defense 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 correspondent 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 on Saturday — planting fake intel that he had already been rescued and was being driven out of Iran, according to the Times. (Read more from “How US used SEAL Team 6, a CIA ruse and death from above to rescue missing F-15 airman in Iran: ‘They’ve been schwackin’ dudes chasing him’” HERE)
