President Trump Donald TrumpTrump lashes out after grand jury seated for New York criminal probe Schumer tees up vote on Jan. 6 commission bill Senators struggle to save Jan. 6 commission MORE on Sunday praised the U.S. for its role in the ongoing rescue of members of a youth soccer team from a cave in Thailand. “The U.S. is working very closely with the Government of Thailand to help get all of the children out of the cave and to safety,” he tweeted. “Very brave and talented people!” The U.S. is working very closely with the Government of Thailand to help get all of the children out of the cave and to safety. Very brave and talented people! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 8, 2018 This is Trump’s first comment on the rescue, and he did not provide specifics on the U.S.’s role in it. The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment. ADVERTISEMENT A U.S. military official told CNN that 36 Pacific Command personnel are involved in the operation, including 12 search-and-rescue divers, as well as staff from the U.S. Embassy. The U.S. divers are not expected to participate directly in the rescue, the official added. The president's tweet came soon after several reports that the first boys had been successfully extracted from the Tham Luang cave complex. The first members of the team were extracted from the cave Sunday, about eight hours after the rescue efforts began. The rescue of all 12 boys and their coach could take days, according to officials. — This report was updated at 12:03 p.m.<doc-sep>(CNN) — President Donald Trump tweeted Sunday morning that the US is working with the Thai government to rescue children trapped in a flooded cave. “The U.S. is working very closely with the Government of Thailand to help get all of the children out of the cave and to safety. Very brave and talented people!” Trump tweeted. As Trump tweeted, images and reports were coming in of the rescue operation underway, including the news that some boys had been evacuated successfully from the cave in northern Thailand. The 12 boys, all members of a soccer team, and their coach went missing last month. They were found in a cave several days ago where they have been trapped for more than two weeks. The rescue operation Sunday comes amid mounting international concern about the safety of the group stuck deep in the flooded cave. A former Thai navy SEAL died on Friday in the cave in the effort to bring the group back safely. A US military official said there were 36 US Pacific Command military personnel involved in the rescue operation, mostly from Kadena Air Base in Japan. The group included 12 search-and-rescue team members, including divers, who were not expected to participate directly in the rescue dives, and civilian and military personnel from the US embassy also are involved, the official said. US officials helped to brief Thai officials on Friday about the proposed operation. In addition to the US support for Thailand, CNN previously reported the effort includes experts and volunteer divers from Europe, Asia and Australia. CNN’s Ryan Browne contributed to this report. This story has been updated with more specific information from the Pentagon.<doc-sep>The rescue of the Wild Boars soccer team and their coach on Tuesday ended a dramatic saga that transfixed the world, with some cable news stations airing constant updates. | Ye Aung Thu/AFP/Getty Images Trump congratulates Thai Navy SEALs for rescue of 12 boys President Donald Trump congratulated the Thai Navy SEALs Tuesday following the rescue of 12 young soccer players and their coach who were trapped in a cave for more than two weeks. “On behalf of the United States, congratulations to the Thai Navy SEALs and all on the successful rescue of the 12 boys and their coach from the treacherous cave in Thailand. Such a beautiful moment - all freed, great job," the president wrote on Twitter. The rescue of the Wild Boars soccer team and their coach on Tuesday ended a dramatic saga that transfixed the world, with some cable news stations airing constant updates. "We are not sure if this is a miracle, a science, or what. All the thirteen Wild Boars are now out of the cave," the Thai Navy SEALs wrote on Facebook. The boys, who range from age 11-16 and their coach, 25, were exploring Tham Luang Nang Non cave after a practice game June 23. Monsoon flooding cut off their escape path and has made made previous rescue attempts difficult. Divers located them on July 2. POLITICO Playbook newsletter Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletter in politics Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or updates from POLITICO and you agree to our privacy policy and terms of service. You can unsubscribe at any time and you can contact us here. This sign-up form is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. An ex-Navy diver was killed last week while trying to help the boys. Trump had tweeted Sunday about the rescue mission, saying that the “U.S. is working very closely with the Government of Thailand to help get all of the children out of the cave and to safety.” The president has not specified how the U.S. helped in the rescue operation, but it was reported by CNN that U.S. military personnel were at the scene providing support and advice.<doc-sep>
A helicopter lands at a military airport in Chiang Rai with its passengers taken by ambulance to nearby hospital as divers evacuated some of the 12 boys and their coach trapped at Tham Luang cave in Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park on Sunday. | Krit Phromsakla Na Sakolnakorn/AFP/Getty Images Trump: U.S. ‘working very closely’ on Thai cave rescue President Donald Trump said Sunday the U.S. government is working closely with authorities in Thailand in their attempt to rescue 12 young soccer players and their coach, who have trapped in a cave in the north of the country for more than two weeks. "The U.S. is working very closely with the Government of Thailand to help get all of the children out of the cave and to safety," the president wrote on Twitter. "Very brave and talented people!" On Sunday morning, four of the soccer players were rescued from the cave and brought to safety. Their names were not disclosed as of yet. The operation features five Thai and 13 elite foreign divers who are navigating dark, tight passageways and strong currents to reach the team. The team has been stranded in the large complex since they went exploring in the cave after a practice game June 23. Monsoon flooding had cut them off from the outside world and has made previous rescue attempts very difficult. Trump did not specify how the United States was helping in this rescue operation. CNN, however, reported that U.S. military personnel were at the scene providing support and advice.