Fresh information has come to light as part of the ongoing search for four individuals from the U.S. Army.
soldiers
who mysteriously
vanished in Lithuania
During a training exercise, their armored vehicle was found “submerged in a body of water.”
The
soldiers
, all from the 1st Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division, along with an M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle, were
reported missing Tuesday
During a strategic training session in Pabradė, a locality close to the Belarusian border and approximately 30 miles northeast of Lithuania’s capital city, Vilnius.
Many individuals from the U.S. Army and Lithuania’s military—as well as various governmental bodies and private organizations—kept looking for the absent service members throughout Wednesday evening, according to Defense Minister Dovilė Šakalienė who addressed journalists on Thursday morning.
The search and rescue effort included water pumping and excavation work in a peat bog following the announcement from U.S. Army Europe and Africa on Wednesday that the Hercules had been found “in a body of water.”
Šakalienė disclosed that the car was discovered buried over 15 feet deep in mud, and with sufficient water now pumped out of the marsh, they could start excavating for it.
The minister mentioned that additional “encouraging indications” have appeared throughout the rescue operations, which “offer hope for a more optimistic outcome.” He also stated that there is “no certainty” that the soldiers were inside the vehicle at the time it sank.
Raimundas Vaikšnoras, leader of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, informed journalists: “This cannot be seen from the surface and it is challenging to detect it using metal probes.”
Vaikšnoras mentioned that the presence of high-pressure gas lines in the region made the rescue operations more challenging. He stated that these lines needed to be deactivated prior to using any heavy machinery.
President Donald Trump
told reporters Wednesday
He hadn’t received any briefing regarding the missing soldiers. This ignited fury amongst congressional members as the president kept dismissing the issue.
Signalgate security breach
, which was disclosed on Monday.
NATO
Secretary General Mark Rutte later retracted his previous statement where he mentioned that the four soldiers were discovered deceased.
While I was talking, information emerged regarding four U.S. soldiers who died in an incident.
Lithuania
He stated, ‘At this stage, we’re lacking specifics as it’s still preliminary information. It’s truly distressing news, and our condolences go out to the families and friends affected.’
The alliance was subsequently compelled to issue an apology for the “confusion” triggered and stated that the fatalities had not been officially confirmed yet.
When Rutte made his remarks, the media department of U.S. Army Europe and Africa reported
The Independent
The Secretary General mentioned witnessing reports of fatalities and stated that the U.S. military could not verify the deaths of the missing soldiers at present.
U.S. authorities declared on Wednesday morning that a search operation had been initiated for the servicemen.
The event occurred during a period of increased stress in Eastern Europe.
Lithuania
is a
NATO
a member and supporter of neighboring Ukraine, whereas Belarus aligns itself with Russia.
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