The search for the missing American soldiers is still ongoing after their armored vehicle was found submerged in Lithuania, according to the US Army

Four US Army soldiers mysteriously disappeared during a training exercise in Lithuania near the Belarus border on Tuesday. The US military has yet to confirm their fate, after NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte triggered confusion by expressing condolences to their families.

The soldiers, from the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division based at Fort Stewart, Georgia, were conducting a "scheduled tactical training" at the General Silvestras Zukauskas training ground in Lithuania's Pabrade when they went missing, prompting a large-scale search and rescue operation.

"The M88 Hercules armored recovery vehicle the four missing US Soldiers were operating during a training exercise has been located in Lithuania," US Army Europe and Africasaidin its latest update on Wednesday.

The armored vehicle "was discovered submerged in a body of water in a training area," but "search efforts for the soldiers continue," the US military added. The Lithuanian Armed Forces also stated that, at present, "there is no evidence or information confirming the death of the troops."

Earlier on Wednesday, the NATO chief appeared to confirm the US servicemen were dead, saying, "This is really terrible news and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones." However, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart later clarified that Rutte was merely "referring to emerging news reports" and "was not confirming the fate of the missing."

"We regret any confusion about remarks [Rutte] delivered on this today," she added.

The United States maintains a force of around 1,000 personnel in Lithuania, after Washington increased deployments across the Baltics and other European NATO members following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. The US-led military bloc has also intensified exercises near the borders with Russia and its ally Belarus.

Last week, the militaries of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland called on their governments to withdraw from the Ottawa Treaty -an international agreement that bans the use of anti-personnel landmines -arguing that an increased military threat from Russia necessitates the move.

Western countries "can't wait" to drag Belarus into their "military squabbles," Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenkowarnedlast year, as Minsk estimated there are 20,000 NATO soldiers stationed "near" the country's borders.

Moscow has repeatedly dismissed Western claims that it intends to attack NATO or EU states, with Russian President Vladimir Putin calling such statements "nonsense." He has argued that the alleged "Russian threat" is being used by European politicians to scare citizens and justify increased military spending. Russian officials have also criticized the EU's latest militarization efforts as reckless and escalatory.

(RT.com)