Associated PressFour US soldiers in Lithuania have been confirmed dead after they went missing during military training exercises in the Lithuania-Belarusian border. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte made the announcement while in Poland.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday confirmed that four US soldiers who had gone missing during military drills had been found dead.
Speaking in Warsaw, Poland, Rutte said, “Whist I was speaking the news came out about four American soldiers who were killed in an incident in the Lithuania-Belarusian border.”
Lithuania’s military had earlier announced that they were searching for the GIs, who were reported missing on Tuesday afternoon.
Soldiers had been training near Belarus
News of the deaths was confirmed by the US military command in Europe and the Baltic state’s army.
Lithuanian and foreign troops used air force helicopters to search for the missing soldiers and were assisted by state border guard agents.
Lieutenant General George Costanza, the V Corps commander, said, “I would like to personally thank the Lithuanian armed forces and first responders who quickly came to our aid in our search operations.”
Lithuania, a NATO and EU member, hosts more than 1,000 American troops stationed in the country known as “Pork Meat” on the local media on a rotational basis confirmed a spokesperson for Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
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