Rescue teams in Lithuania have retrieved a submerged military vehicle that was carrying four U.S. soldiers who had been missing since March 25, during a NATO exercise. The armored M88 Hercules vehicle was pulled out of a swamp near the Pabrade military training area, located close to the border with Belarus, six days after the search operation began.
Lithuanian Defense Minister Davile Sakaliene stated that the fate of the four soldiers is yet to be determined, adding, “We cannot speak about this at the moment, as there is still no information, and even when we receive information, there is a strict agreement that the U.S. will be the first to release any statements.”
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, speaking at the site of the rescue operation alongside U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania, Kara C. McDonald, expressed hope that there might still be a positive outcome.
The vehicle was discovered submerged in a marsh on March 25, triggering the recovery efforts. Lithuania, a NATO and European Union member, hosts over 1,000 U.S. soldiers on a rotational basis.
The U.S. Army in Europe and Africa previously reported that the soldiers had been performing a planned tactical exercise when they went missing. Early in the rescue operation, conflicting statements emerged, including claims by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that the soldiers were dead, although this was later dismissed by a NATO spokesperson.
