Homeland Security takes lead in search for Afghans missing from Ga. air base
Published 7:00 pm Thursday, December 10, 2015
- U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jeffrey Hogan, left, 81st Fighter Squadron commander, speaks to an Afghan Air Force student pilot from the 81st FS, before the first Afghan ‘in seat’ flight in an A-29 Super Tucano March 5, 2015, at Moody Air Force Base.
VALDOSTA, Ga. — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has taken the lead in finding two Afghan trainees who have been missing from Moody Air Force Base (MAFB) since Monday, according to authorities Thursday.
Air Force investigators, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and local law-enforcement agencies have been searching for the two men after they failed to report for duty.
The missing men were at the base as part of an effort to train 30 Afghan pilots and 90 Afghan maintainers. Both were assigned to the 81st Fighter Squadron as maintainers.
Moody AFB officials did tell local CBS affiliate WCTV Thursday that the two men are allowed to leave the base just like other airmen and do not require an escort.
In a prepared statement, Moody officials stressed “the men do not pose any apparent threat.”
The Department of Homeland Security is now leading the effort to locate them, Capt. Korey Fratini, MAFB Chief of Public Affairs, said Thursday.
The men were screened prior to their arrival in the U.S. more than a year ago and have trained alongside Americans since February, according to MAFB.
Several media outlets have released images and names obtained from Facebook posts. The Valdosta (Georgia) Daily Times has the images that were shared on Facebook. It is the policy of The Times to only publish images found on social media after verification and with permission.
Moody Air Force base personnel have not verified the images and have told The Valdosta Daily Times the U.S. Air Force has a policy in place to not release any identifying information of any Afghan trainees, citing security concerns. The Times has taken an editorial position the images should be officially released.
In 2014, Moody was tapped to support 20 A-29 aircraft, 17 USAF instructor pilots, and 24 maintenance and support personnel to train a total of 30 Afghan pilots and 90 Afghan maintainers during the next four years, Staff Sgt. Eric Summers said at the time.
Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the men can contact the Public Affairs Office at Moody AFB, (229) 257-4146 or the Command Post, (229) 257-3501 outside of normal duty hours, or contact local law enforcement.
The Valdosta (Georgia) Daily Times contributed details to this story.
