As U.S. and Israeli forces search for an F-15 crew member forced to eject after being shot down over Iran, President Donald Trump isn't yet ready to say what the U.S. will do if the missing crew member is harmed.
In a brief Friday phone interview with The Independent, the president declined to say what his course of action might be if Iranian forces get to the downed airman — the first American aviator to be shot down over enemy territory since an A-10 "Warthog" pilot ejected into Iraq after being struck by a surface-to-air missile in April 2003, just weeks into Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Asked what he'd do if the pilot is captured or harmed by Iranians, Trump replied: "Well, I can't comment on it because — we hope that's not going to happen," and ended the call shortly thereafter.
Trump's hope for the safe return of the missing Air Force officer came as Combat Search and Rescue forces from Israel and the United States were searching for the crew member, hours after they were forced to eject from their two-person fighter over Iranian territory.
Since the F-15 downing, Iranian state television has urged residents to hand over any "enemy pilot" to police and promised a reward for anyone who does so, while the governor of Iran's Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province said anyone who captured or killed the downed aviator would be "specially commended."
Read more here.
