Sunday 30 / March / 2025
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 Lithuania.”
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
The US Army said in a statement that the soldiers had been training near the Belarus border when they went missing.
"The soldiers, all from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, were conducting scheduled tactical training at the time of the incident," the statement continued.
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 Charles 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 on a rotational basis.
