US Soldiers Killed in Lithuania Training Accident

A tragic training incident in Lithuania has claimed the lives of four US soldiers, who went missing on Tuesday afternoon during a routine exercise. The soldiers, members of the 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, based at Fort Stewart, Georgia, were participating in a training mission near Pabradė, a strategic military area close to the Belarusian border.

According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the search for the missing soldiers is ongoing, but unfortunately, the bodies of the four soldiers have been recovered. "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," Rutte said.

The soldiers were training in an M88 Recovery Vehicle, a heavily armored tow vehicle designed for retrieving disabled tanks and other large military equipment. Initial reports suggest that the vehicle may have become submerged in a swamp, but search teams are still exploring all possibilities, and the Army has not yet provided a definitive account of the incident.

Lithuanian authorities launched an extensive search operation, deploying law enforcement personnel, military units, and aircraft assets to assist US forces. The incident occurred near the Belarusian border, where Lithuania has hosted a steady rotation of allied forces in recent years, serving as a key training ground for military exercises designed to deter Russian aggression.

The news comes after two 3rd Infantry Division soldiers died in a separate tactical vehicle training incident in January near Fort Stewart. The Army has seen 153 tactical vehicle accidents between 2010 and 2019 that resulted in a death or significant injury.