This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/10/us/2-afghan-trainees-at-georgia-air-base-are-missing.html

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
2 Afghan Trainees at Georgia Air Base Are Missing 2 Afghan Trainees at Georgia Air Base Are Missing
(about 2 hours later)
Two men from Afghanistan who were in the United States for training at Moody Air Force Base are missing, shortly before they were scheduled to graduate and return to their country, the base and an official said on Wednesday. Two men from Afghanistan who were in the United States for training at Moody Air Force Base are missing, days before they were scheduled to graduate and return to their country, the base and officials said on Wednesday.
The base said the two men, part of a training program in conjunction with the Afghan Air Force, did not report on Monday for their maintenance duties with the 81st Fighter Squadron. The two arrived in the United States more than a year ago and have been at the air base, which is in Valdosta, Ga., since February, the base said. No identifying information was released. The base said the two men, part of a training program in conjunction with the Afghan Air Force, did not report on Monday for their maintenance duties with the 81st Fighter Squadron. The two arrived in the United States more than a year ago and have been at the air base, in Valdosta, Ga., since February, the base said. No identifying information was released.
It said the men were screened before their arrival and have been training alongside American counterparts. The missing men “do not pose any apparent threat,” the base said. The base said the men were screened before their arrival, and had been training alongside American counterparts. The missing men “do not pose any apparent threat,” the base said.
An Air Force spokesman, Lt. Col. Christopher P. Karns, said in a telephone interview that the last contact with the two students was on Friday, Dec. 4. They are allowed to go off-base on weekends, and it was assumed they did, he said. An Air Force spokesman, Lt. Col. Christopher P. Karns, said in a telephone interview that the last contact with the two students was on Friday. They are allowed to leave the base on weekends, and it was assumed they did, he said.
After the men failed to report for duty on Monday, and they were not found in on-base living quarters, the search widened to include federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to ensure their “safe return,” he said. After the men failed to report for duty on Monday and they were not found in their living quarters on the base, the search widened to include federal, state and local law enforcement agencies to ensure their “safe return,” Colonel Karns said. He added there were no reports of missing weapons, “or anything of that nature.”
In reply to a question, he said there were no reports of missing weapons “or anything of that nature.” “In light of everything going on in the world today, we want to make sure no one jumps to any unfair or misinformed conclusions,” he said.
“In light of everything going on in the world today we want to make sure no one jumps to any unfair or misinformed conclusions,” he said. Security concerns in the United States have risen sharply after last week’s shootings in San Bernardino, Calif., in which the couple who carried out the attack were motivated by extremist views, and also as Muslim citizens are reporting a backlash.
Security concerns in the United States have risen recently in light of the San Bernardino shooting incident in California, in which the couple who carried out the attack was motivated by extremist views, and also as Muslim citizens are reporting a backlash. Brian K. Childress, the police chief in Valdosta, said that up to a dozen business owners and citizens had called or emailed the department after learning that the Afghan men were at large.
Lt. Col. Karns did not release their ages or where they were from in Afghanistan. But he said one was an officer, and the other is enlisted with a rank equivalent to a senior Master sergeant in the Air Force. “A lot of folks have contacted me or my staff at the police department very concerned about these two Afghans, in light of what happened out in California,” he said in a telephone interview.
The missing men were in a class of nine Afghan pilots and 12 other Afghan aircraft maintenance students who train in classrooms or on the flight line, Lt. Colonel Karns said. They were scheduled to graduate on December 18 and return to Afghanistan. Chief Childress said an all-points bulletin had been issued. The base is just north of Valdosta, which has a population of about 58,000 spread across about 38 square miles.
The class had about a year of English language training at the Defense Language Institute in San Antonio, Tx. before arriving at Moody, he said. “I have been at other bases where this has happened before, where you have had foreign nationals who come and train and they decide they want to stay here,” Chief Childress said.
Colonel Karns, the Air Force spokesman, did not release the ages of the men or where in Afghanistan they were from. But he said one was an officer and the other is enlisted with a rank equivalent to a senior master sergeant in the Air Force.
The missing men were in a class of nine Afghan pilots and 12 Afghan aircraft maintenance students who train in classrooms or on the flight line, Colonel Karns said. They were scheduled to graduate on Dec. 18 and return to Afghanistan.
The class had about a year of English language training at the Defense Language Institute in San Antonio, Tex., before arriving at Moody, he said.
The program to train Afghan pilots and aircraft maintenance personnel started this year at the base, according to a local WALB News report in January.The program to train Afghan pilots and aircraft maintenance personnel started this year at the base, according to a local WALB News report in January.
About 30 Afghan pilots and 90 aircraft maintenance workers are scheduled to come to the base over the next four to six years to learn to fly and maintain A-29 Super Tucano planes.About 30 Afghan pilots and 90 aircraft maintenance workers are scheduled to come to the base over the next four to six years to learn to fly and maintain A-29 Super Tucano planes.
After their training, they are expected to return to Afghanistan in 2018 with 20 of the aircraft for the Afghan Air Force to use in counterinsurgency operations, a statement from the air base said in January.After their training, they are expected to return to Afghanistan in 2018 with 20 of the aircraft for the Afghan Air Force to use in counterinsurgency operations, a statement from the air base said in January.
While the reason behind the disappearance of the two men is not yet known, military officials have said that it is not uncommon for officers visiting from countries where life is hard to get a glimpse of American life and go absent without leave.While the reason behind the disappearance of the two men is not yet known, military officials have said that it is not uncommon for officers visiting from countries where life is hard to get a glimpse of American life and go absent without leave.
Seventeen Afghan soldiers walked away from training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio between 2006 and 2010, officials said that year. In 2010, officials said that 17 Afghan soldiers had walked away from training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio since 2006.