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CIA runs deception campaign to aid rescue of F-15E crew member in Iran — TV

The F-15E two-seat fighter jet was shot down over Iran on Friday

NEW YORK, April 6. /TASS/. US forces managed to rescue the missing crew member of an F-15E fighter jet downed over Iran largely through the help of a deception campaign carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), NBC News reported.

According to the media outlet, the CIA staged false media leaks before the airman was found and evacuated, claiming that the crew member had already been rescued. The campaign was aimed at misleading Iranian search teams while US rescue efforts were underway.

The F-15E two-seat fighter jet was shot down over Iran on Friday. According to Axios, the two crew members – a pilot and a weapons systems officer – made contact via their comms systems after ejecting. The news website’s sources said that the pilot was rescued several hours after the plane crashed. Iran also downed one of the Black Hawk helicopters taking part in the US search and rescue operation; its crew members suffered injuries but managed to fly it to safety.

It took over 24 hours to locate the second F-15E crew member, and the operation to rescue him began on Saturday. US fighter jets kept targeting the Iranian forces moving towards the area in order to prevent them from finding the crew member before US forces could.