2 Afghan trainees reported missing from Moody Air Force Base

Two Afghan national air force students assigned to Moody Air Force Base near Valdosta have been reported missing.

The two men, whose names were not released, are both assigned to the 81st Fighter Squadron, but did not show up for work Monday, Moody said in an emailed statement. The two arrived at Moody in February and were screened before their arrival on U.S. soil, more than a year ago, according to officials.

“The students have trained alongside American counterparts for the entirety of 2015 and do not pose any apparent threat,” Moody said. “There is a well-coordinated process among federal agencies to locate the individuals as quickly as possible and return them accordingly to the proper authorities to manage their present situation.”

The 81st Fighter Squadron was re-activated in January and charged with training Afghan airmen, who arrived the following month. The squadron will grow to 20 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft that will be used to train 30 Afghan pilots and 90 maintainers at Moody through 2018, the Air Force previously said.

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