After conducting a six-day search, authorities in Lithuania announced on Monday that they had recovered a United States military vehicle that fell into a swamp during a training exercise. However, the recovery of the vehicle has not revealed the fate of the four US soldiers who were on board. The Lithuanian Defense Ministry stated that the investigation is still in progress.
“Following the removal of the military vehicle from the swamp, the Lithuanian Military Police and US investigators are continuing their work at the scene,” the ministry announced on social media.
“We will remain patient and focused as they gather more information about the incident.”
The operation to tow the vehicle out of the swamp was completed early in the morning, local time, and military police and US investigators are currently working at the site.
“If recovery of the vehicle does not provide all the answers, the investigation will continue,” said Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene in a Facebook post.
Sakaliene added that the first information about the soldiers’ fate will be provided by the US Army.
What is known about the incident?
The four soldiers, all from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, were participating in a tactical training exercise in the eastern Lithuanian town of Pabrade, which is located just 10 kilometers away from the border with Belarus. They and their M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle went missing early Tuesday morning, according to the US Army.
In response to the disappearance, the Lithuanian military and police initiated a joint search operation with the US military, which led to the location of the vehicle on Wednesday. It was submerged in approximately five meters of water in a marshy area of the training ground. Hundreds of local and foreign troops, engineers, and drivers participated in the rescue operation to recover the vehicle.
More than 1,000 American troops are stationed in Lithuania, a NATO and EU member, on a rotating basis.
Lithuania’s relationships with Russia and Belarus, a close ally of Moscow, have deteriorated over Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Source: https://www.dw.com/en/lithuania-recovers-us-army-vehicle-soldiers-fate-unknown/a-72093038?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
