4 US soldiers reported missing are dead, says NATO leader

American soldiers who were reported missing in Lithuania are dead, according to the leader of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The four soldiers were training near the border of Belarus, but few other details were released by officials. A U.S. official told the Associated Press that the soldiers were involved in a training accident.

'The soldiers ... were conducting scheduled tactical training at the time of the incident.'

“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,” said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to reporters on Wednesday in Warsaw, Poland.

According to a Lithuanian broadcaster, the soldiers were reported missing on Tuesday from the General Silvestras Žukauskas training ground in Pabradė, which is less than six miles away from the border.

“The soldiers, all from 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, were conducting scheduled tactical training at the time of the incident,” read a statement from the U.S. Army Europe and Africa after they went missing.

The solders were all based out of Fort Stewart, Georgia, according to the Army.

Lithuania is a member of NATO and has been defending Ukraine after the invasion from Russia, while Belarus has been allied with Russia. Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia declared their independence from the Soviet Union in 1990. Hundreds of U.S. troops are stationed in Lithuania on a rotating basis.

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