How rescue of US airman in remote part of Iran unfolded

How rescue of US airman in remote part of Iran unfolded60 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleGabriela PomeroyReutersParts of an aircraft, which Iran claims was destroyed in the US rescue mission, were shown on Iranian state TVThe US military has rescued a missing crew member in a dramatic night-time mission after his fighter jet was shot down in a remote part of Iran. The exact circumstances remain unclear, but the operation to extract him from the ground in hostile territory was hugely complex.Hundreds of special forces, as well as dozens of US fighter jets and helicopters, were involved in the plan, along with the CIA. On Sunday, US President Donald Trump said on social media: "We have rescued the seriously wounded, and really brave, F-15 Crew Member/Officer, from deep inside the mountains of Iran."But the airman's ordeal began on Friday with reports that an F-15 jet, which was carrying a weapons systems officer and a pilot, had been shot down over southern Iran. The incident was the first US fighter jet to be shot down by enemy fire in more than 20 years.The two US military personnel on board the F-15E Strike Eagle managed to eject from the aircraft, and the pilot was rescued the same day, but the second crew member was missing. The US then began a race against time to locate him. Iran made it clear they wished to capture him alive and offered a bounty of £50,000 ($66,100). Videos shared on social media, which have not been verified by the BBC, appeared to show armed civilians searching for him.Once the officer was on the ground, he had only a handgun to defend himself, US officials told the BBC's US partner CBS News.The airman would have received training for a situation like this, and it would have involved turning his beacon signal on, getting to high ground, concealing himself and establishing communications.According to reports in US media, the airman hid himself in a mountain crevice and restricted the use of his beacon - conc...