2 Afghan Trainees Missing From Georgia Air Force Base

Two Afghan Air Force trainees did not report for duty Monday at Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, Georgia, and are missing, according to officials.

U.S. military officials emphasized there are no indications the two men pose a threat, and the main concern is their failing to show up for duty.

"Both [men] are assigned to the 81st Fighter Squadron. They have been at Moody since February 2015 and were screened prior to their arrival in the United States more than a year ago,” Air Force officials said in a statement.

“The students have trained alongside American counterparts for the entirety of 2015 and do not pose any apparent threat. 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," Air Force officials added.

This is not the first time that Afghan trainees have gone missing from a military training program within the U.S. In one incident in 2014 when Afghan soldiers went missing in Massachusetts and they were found attempting to seek asylum near the Canadian border. In another instance, soldiers went missing during a tour in D.C. and were later sent back to Afghanistan.

The two men are part of a program to train Afghan pilots and maintenance personnel who will be flying the A-29 Super Tucano fighter aircraft.

They are among nine pilots and 14 maintenance crew who have been at Moody Air Force Base for much of the year. The two men missing are from the maintenance crew.

One of the men is an Afghan Air Force lieutenant, while the other is s a senior master sergeant within the Afghan Air Force, officials said.

They were scheduled to graduate from the program next week with the rest of their class and, after a short break, return to Afghanistan.