Afghan air force students missing from U.S. base

Update: Afghans still missing in US but “zero evidence that these guys are terrorists”

According to Air Force officials, two male Afghan air force students did not report for duty yesterday at their regular maintenance training at Moody AFB.  The students have reportedly trained alongside their American counterparts this entire year and “do not pose any apparent threat,” officials said.

They’d been training at the base in Valdosta, Georgia, since February, and were assigned to the 81st Fighter Squadron.

According to WTXL, Moody AFB was selected as a training site for Afghan pilots in 2014. It was one of three bases being considered for the A-29 Afghan Light Air Support Training Mission.

Lt. Col. Jeff Hogan – the Light Air Support training unit commander – spoke to the Tallahassee affiliate for an earlier story about the program.

According to Hogan the students have been through “heavy background checks.”

“These Afghans are all personally invested in this mission and very well vetted through the government of Afghanistan through NATO Air Training Command,” said Hogan. “They all to some degree have all suffered under the hands of the Taliban so I can tell you having talked to them personally, they are all motivated to get trained.”

Federal agencies are now trying to locate the individuals “as quickly as possible” and return them  to the proper authorities.

In October of this year, an Afghan officer was arrested after going AWOL in the United States.

Related: Afghan military officer arresting after trying to desert in US

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