An incident occurred on Friday during a NATO exercise in Lithuania in which a soldier was injured and later died in hospital from his injuries.
Belgian soldiers participate in a NATO exercise in Lithuania PHOTO: X
A Belgian soldier participating in a NATO mission in Lithuania has died following an exercise, Belgian officials said late Saturday.
The soldier was injured during a mortar exercise and died in hospital on Saturday, Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken and Defense Chief Frederik Vansina confirmed in a joint statement, according to Mediafax.
The Belgian soldier was part of the Artillery Battalion in Brasschaat. This summer, nearly 200 Belgian soldiers were deployed to Lithuania as part of NATO's Forward Land Forces mission, a series of multinational battle groups stationed in eight Eastern European countries.
An investigation has been opened
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda expressed his condolences in a post following the announcement of the soldier's death, saying that Belgian troops serving with NATO in Lithuania “they make an invaluable contribution to the security of our nation and the entire Alliance.”
The Belgian federal prosecutor's office said it had opened an investigation into the soldier's death, according to Belga news agency. Belgium's Ministry of Defense has also launched an internal investigation to determine the exact circumstances of the accident.
