NATO Confirms Deaths of Four American Soldiers in Lithuania
The incident occurred during a planned tactical exercise near the Belarus border.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that four American soldiers who were missing during a training exercise in Lithuania have died.
The details surrounding the incident are still being withheld from the public.
In a statement to reporters in Warsaw, Stoltenberg expressed condolences, stating, "These are indeed terrible news, and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones."
The United States Army's European and African Command, based in Wiesbaden, Germany, indicated that the soldiers were conducting routine tactical training at the time.
According to reports from Lithuania's public broadcaster LRT, the American soldiers and their vehicle were reported missing on Tuesday afternoon during drills at the General Silvestras Žukauskas Training Area in Pabradė, a town located less than ten kilometers from the Belarus border.
The Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are all NATO member states and have frequently experienced tense relations with Russia, a key ally of Belarus, particularly since regaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has been a strong proponent of Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression under President Vladimir Putin.
Giedrimas Jeglinskas, head of Lithuania's National Security and Defense Committee, stated, "Such incidents do occur during large joint military exercises, not only among Americans but in other armies as well." He added that if an accident did occur, lessons would be drawn to enhance safety standards.
The training exercise was taking place at the military range in Pabradė, an area critically positioned near the border with Belarus.
The details surrounding the incident are still being withheld from the public.
In a statement to reporters in Warsaw, Stoltenberg expressed condolences, stating, "These are indeed terrible news, and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones."
The United States Army's European and African Command, based in Wiesbaden, Germany, indicated that the soldiers were conducting routine tactical training at the time.
According to reports from Lithuania's public broadcaster LRT, the American soldiers and their vehicle were reported missing on Tuesday afternoon during drills at the General Silvestras Žukauskas Training Area in Pabradė, a town located less than ten kilometers from the Belarus border.
The Baltic nations of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are all NATO member states and have frequently experienced tense relations with Russia, a key ally of Belarus, particularly since regaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has been a strong proponent of Ukraine's defense against Russian aggression under President Vladimir Putin.
Giedrimas Jeglinskas, head of Lithuania's National Security and Defense Committee, stated, "Such incidents do occur during large joint military exercises, not only among Americans but in other armies as well." He added that if an accident did occur, lessons would be drawn to enhance safety standards.
The training exercise was taking place at the military range in Pabradė, an area critically positioned near the border with Belarus.
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