Iranian villagers protect downed U.S. airman, while lefty Europeans root for his capture

Our allies are in Iran, not in Europe.

April 6, 2026

By Monica Showalter

Reprinted from American Thinker

It’s an upside-down world when Iranian villagers seek to protect U.S. servicemen from Iran’s mullah regime, while our purported European allies root for his capture.

That really happened with the recent incident regarding a downed U.S. airman whose case for rescue was made that much more dangerous by a leaker on the U.S. side, who alerted the Iranian goons of his presence on Iranian soil and got them hunting for him.

But the news was not all bad. Something unexpected happened — in a spontaneous gesture, the Iranian villagers rushed in to protect him from capture by the Revolutionary Guard goons who were looking for him to capture. It was not without risk — some may die as a result with angry mullah goons now looking for them. But it was the price of freedom, a price they were willing to pay.

BREAKING: Footage shows intense clashes as USAF CSAR teams engaged IRGC Basij militants trying to capture a second F-15E crew member sheltered by villagers in Kuh-e-Siah, Koohdasht County, Iran. An A-10C+ pilot covering HH-60W rescue helicopters fired guided rockets, eliminating… pic.twitter.com/vCblPcQR5L

— Defence Journal (@Defence_Journl) April 5, 2026

Which tells us what this war is really about — freeing the Iranian people even as we free the American people from the mullah regime’s long reign of torture and terror.

The Iranians have longed for freedom for decades and have demonstrated it again and again, since at least 2009, and actually, earlier, only to be machine-gunned down in the streets without consequences by the mullah regime, not drawing so much as a stern warning from the United Nations in response. The international community has simply ignored them and moved on. Yet that hasn’t stomped out the Iranian desire for freedom.

Yes, it’s “Bush war” logic to make a war about freeing another people, and Trump doesn’t seem to have much appetite for even regime-change, let alone nation-building, but it’s still true. People who live in hellholes welcome any liberator with open arms and may just make sacrifices for them.

Iranian villagers searching for a US pilot. 😂

Country duty! pic.twitter.com/IpPf0Agrf3

— Sentletse 🇿🇦🇷🇺🇵🇸🇱🇧 (@Sentletse) April 3, 2026

They did with the U.S. airman, who was rescued on Sunday, the Iranian villagers giving just enough ground obstacles to delay the mullah goon on a manhunt and make the rescue that much more likely. It was beautiful, and Americans everywhere are always going to be grateful to the brave Iranian villagers who knew that they might be arrested, and some have been — and did it anyway.

BREAKING: There are reports that the downed F-15 pilot in Iran was sheltered by heroic villagers in Yasuj’s Kakan region before US Special Forces arrived.

20 of those villagers have been kidnapped by the regime for aiding the American pilot.

Unconfirmed.

— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) April 6, 2026

🚨 Iranian locals saved the downed American pilot’s life!

There is growing belief within the regime that locals sheltered him and helped him evade IRGC forces.

The F-15E went down in a region known for strong opposition to the Islamic Republic, where villagers reportedly… https://t.co/DRp3ovKwFv pic.twitter.com/ZrnY5tfq9V

— The Iran Watcher 🇮🇷 (@TheIranWatcher) April 5, 2026

Iran: Armed tribesmen and villagers in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad are searching for possible U.S. forces after reports of a rescue attempt, patrolling mountains and rural areas.

— Clash Report (@clashreport) April 3, 2026

This is great news if true! https://t.co/zZBGYLTh42

— Vince Langman (@LangmanVince) April 4, 2026

And then there’s our purported allies in Europe, who’ve been putting out this kind of talk:

I’m sure he’s a nice guy. He says he doesn’t wish anyone ill. And like Jimmy Carter, he assumed the mullahs have all the best of intentions. and would treat the airman well, which certainly wasn’t the case with U.S. diplomatic personnel in 1979, and certainly wouldn’t be the case with a foreign fighter in 2026.

But he made the argument for the airman’s capture by saying he would like to volunteer him into becoming a bargaining chip for the mullahs’ perpetuation in power, and get Trump to stop the military action.

What a thing for a purported ally to wish — at no risk to himself, he was actually rooting for the enemy, while Iranian villagers took massive risks to thwart their oppressors. He was all in on keeping the mullahs in power, while Iranians helped the airman, and cheered the destruction of their oppressors’ arms:

Listen and watch aa IRANIAN CITIZENS CHEER, excitedly as their country is hit by thousands of bombs. THEY KNOW it’s not themselves who are under attack but their brutal slave-masters for the last years who are having to pay for their sins!! https://t.co/Ibxm5SbqWw

— Steve Shultz (@elijahliststeve) April 6, 2026

Some allies.

Yet the rescue happened, and it was downright biblical:

I just hope the brave Iranian villagers get some kind of recognition from the U.S. when in the end, they are liberated, while the Europeans learn the hard way about wishing ill on an ally.

Related Topics: Iran, Trump, Europe