The United States Army on Friday apologised for its soldiers on armoured combat vehicles having mistakenly driven through a Romanian farming village in an area of Fetesti, Ialomita County.
According to a press statement released by United States Army Europe (USAREUR) and reposted by the Romanian Ministry of National Defence (MApN), US officials say the affected landowners will receive compensation under a NATO claims process.
"The U.S. Army has the utmost respect for the Romanian people and apologizes for the inconvenience caused by the incident. There is a NATO claims process in place for such occurrences and we will ensure those affected understand the procedures for compensation for their losses," reads the statement.
USAREUR also says that they are working closely with Romanian military and civilian authorities to investigate the incident and ensure incidents like this do not occur in the future.
"The vehicles were participating in Saber Guardian 2019 multinational exercise co-led by Romania's Joint Forces Command. We appreciate Romania hosting this exercise and are thankful for their cooperation and support of their armed forces," the statement says.
US Army soldiers travelling on Thursday after-noon in bad weather during the Saber Guardian 19 multinational training exercise in the Ialomita Island area mistakenly drove their armoured combat vehicles through an agricultural area, destroying crops.