Three Afghanistan National Army soldiers participating in a 7-to-10 day training exercise were reported missing Saturday evening from Joint Base Cape Cod. A search, which includes local police, Massachusetts State Police, and Central Command, has been launched.
The three soldiers, all officers, were last seen at Cape Cod Mall in Hyannis. Their names are are Maj. Jan Mohammad Arash, Cpt. Mohammad Nasir Askarzada, and Cpt. Noorullah Aminyar, according to CBS Boston WBZ, which reported:
The Massachusetts National Guard says the soldiers are not a threat to the public.
WBZ Security Analyst Ed Davis says he does not think there should be cause for major concern.
Similar incidents have happened in the past involving Afghan military and police, and when finally located, it turned out they were merely seeking a better life in the United States.
Watch the news clip via WCVB Channel 5 Boston. Story continues after video.
Although the WBZ security analyst saw no cause for concern, he added a cautionary note.
“It’s certainly an unusual incident and it needs to be checked out,” Davis said. “The only cause for concern is the fact that there have been Afghan soldiers who have turned on their United States counterparts and I’m sure that’s on most of the minds of the people doing the investigation.”
The increase in “insider attacks” was enough to warrant CBS News correspondent Lara Logan to offer a “60 Minutes” segment on the subject two years ago.
The-then top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Marine Gen. John Allen, was more than “concerned”–He was downright incensed.
“Well, I’m mad as hell about them, to be honest with you,” he told Logan, according to CBS News. “We’re going to get after this. It reverberates everywhere, across the United States. You know, we’re willing to sacrifice a lot for this campaign, but we’re not willing to be murdered for it.”
Watch the full interview, via CBS News.
