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NATO’s top official has confirmed that four US soldiers have died during a training exercise in Lithuania.

Some shit you should know before you read: If you’re unaware, the United States currently has a rotational deployment of troops in Lithuania as part of a broader NATO effort to reinforce the alliance’s eastern flank. Since January, units from the US Army’s 1st Brigade (3rd Infantry Division) have been operating across Lithuania, Poland, and other countries, conducting joint training exercises, tactical maneuvers, and strategic readiness operations alongside allied forces. The presence of US forces is widely viewed as a critical deterrent against potential aggression from Russia.

What’s going on now: While speaking to reporters in Warsaw, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that four US soldiers who had gone missing during a training exercise in Lithuania were presumed dead. “The news came out about four American soldiers who were killed in an incident in Lithuania,” Rutte said. “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.”

The soldiers were last seen in an M88 Recovery Vehicle, a large armored vehicle used to tow disabled tanks, which reportedly drove off-road into swampy terrain during a recovery mission. According to a US Army official, the vehicle became submerged, trapping the soldiers inside.

More to come