4 missing US soldiers were killed training accident in Lithuania, NATO confirms
Eurocopter Tiger attack helicopters and a Puma infantry fighting vehicle of the Bundeswehr, the German armed forces, participate in the Quadriga military exercises involving German, French, Lithuanian and Dutch troops during a Distinguished Visitors'
VILNIUS, Lithuania - NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Wednesday that four U.S. soldiers who went missing while training in Lithuania have died, but that he did not yet know the details.
What we know:
A U.S. official would say only that the four soldiers were involved in a training accident. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, would not comment on the status of the soldiers.
The soldiers were initially reported missing Wednesday.
A statement from U.S. Army Europe and Africa public affairs in Wiesbaden, Germany said the soldiers were conducting scheduled tactical training at the time.
Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reported that four U.S. soldiers and vehicle were reported missing Tuesday afternoon during an exercise at the General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in Pabradė, a town located less than 6 miles from the border with Belarus.
What they're saying:
"This is still early news so we do not know the details. This is really terrible news and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones," Rutte told reporters in Warsaw.
What we don't know:
The missing soldiers have not been named. The military said further details will be provided as new information becomes available.
The backstory:
The Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are all NATO members and have often had chilly ties with Russia, a key ally of Belarus, since declaring independence from the Soviet Union in 1990.
Relations soured further over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has been one of the most outspoken supporters of Ukraine in its fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces.
The Source: The Associated Press contributed to this report. The information in this story came from a statement by U.S. Army Europe and Africa public affairs in Wiesbaden, Germany, which confirmed that the missing soldiers were conducting scheduled tactical training. This story was reported from Los Angeles.