Homeland focus put on 2 AWOL Afghans

ATLANTA — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has taken a lead role in the search for two Afghan men who disappeared while training with the U.S. military at a base in south Georgia, Air Force officials said Friday.

The men were screened before entering the U.S. and there’s no evidence they pose a threat. The Homeland Security Department is coordinating with the U.S. State Department to locate them, Air Force Lt. Col. Chris Karns said.

The men didn’t report Monday to maintenance training with the 81st Fighter Squadron, according to officials at Moody Air Force base near Valdosta.

The two had been at Moody since February as part of training aimed at improving the Afghan air force. The military hasn’t released their names as part of a policy aimed at protecting them, Karns said.

Few details of the search have been released, but authorities visited Valdosta Regional Airport after the men turned up missing and downloaded video from its surveillance cameras, airport manager Jim Galloway said. The airport is about 15 miles southwest of the base.