NATO director provokes mix-up over ‘dead’ American troops

(MENAFN) Four US Army soldiers went missing during a training exercise in Lithuania near the Belarusian border on Tuesday, triggering a large-scale search and rescue operation. The soldiers, from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, were operating an M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle at the General Silvestras Zukauskas training ground in Pabrade when the vehicle was found submerged in a body of water. However, the Pentagon has yet to confirm their status, and the Lithuanian Armed Forces have stated that there is no evidence suggesting the soldiers are dead.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte caused confusion on Wednesday when he expressed condolences to the families of the missing soldiers, seemingly implying their deaths. Later, NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart clarified that Rutte’s remarks were based on emerging news reports and were not an official confirmation of the soldiers' fate. She apologized for the misunderstanding.

The incident has heightened attention on the US military’s presence in Lithuania, where approximately 1,000 US personnel are stationed. The US and NATO have increased military activity in the Baltic region since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. The search for the missing soldiers continues, with no official updates on their condition yet.

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