NATO has said the search for four U.S. Army soldiers missing on a training exercise in Lithuania was ongoing and apologized after the defense organization’s head had previously said they had died.
On Wednesday NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said: "Whilst I was speaking the news came out about four American soldiers who were killed in an incident in Lithuania.
“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,” he added.
At the time the U.S. Army Europe and Africa command’s media division told The Independent the secretary general was speaking about seeing reports of deaths, and that the U.S. military was “unable to confirm the deaths of the missing soldiers at this time.”
However, several hours later a NATO spokesperson said the deaths of the four soldiers were not confirmed and that the search was continuing.
A message on X read: “On the 4 US soldiers missing in a military exercise in Lithuania, the search is ongoing. We regret any confusion about remarks @SecGenNATO delivered on this today. He was referring to emerging news reports & was not confirming the fate of the missing, which is still unknown.”
U.S. officials announced a search was underway for the service members earlier in the day.
The soldiers were taking part in scheduled tactical training outside the capital, Vilnius, according to the military.
The military said in a statement the soldiers were part of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division.
The Lithuanian military previously announced it was searching for the soldiers, tracking a vehicle that went missing on Tuesday.
The four soldiers and a vehicle were reported missing Tuesday during an exercise in Pabradė, a town near the Belarusian border, Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT reported, according to The Washington Post.
The M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle the soldiers were using has been located, the U.S. Army Europe and Africa command announced Wednesday evening.
“The vehicle was discovered submerged in a body of water in a training area after a search by U.S. Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces and other Lithuanian authorities,” the Army said. “Recovery efforts are underway by U.S. Army and Lithuanian Armed Forces and civilian agencies. Search efforts for the Soldiers continue.”
Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT photographed military police and other emergency vehicles investigating the disappearance in a wooded area.
Donald Trump told reporters Wednesday he had not been briefed about about the missing soldiers, angering some in Congress, as scrutiny continues over the White House’s handling of another sensitive military matter, leaked attack planning over a series of strikes in Yemen.
“He fired thousands of veterans across the government. His team carelessly shares information that puts our pilots at risk,” Rep. Gerry Connolly, Democrat of Virginia, wrote on X. “He doesn’t care to know about missing American soldiers. What more proof do we need that this man doesn’t give a damn about the heroes who protect us?”
The incident took place at a time of heightened tensions in Eastern Europe. Lithuania is a NATO member and ally of nearby Ukraine, while Belarus is aligned with Russia.
