Free Republic

Several Afghan nationals undergoing military training in the United States disappeared from U.S. military bases this month, according to Pentagon and Homeland Security officials. “During the month of September, seven Afghan students were considered absent without leave (AWOL) during international military student programs,” Pentagon spokesman Cmdr. Patrick L. Evans said. Three of the Afghan military trainees fled from a Pentagon training program two weekends ago during the bombing spree in New York and New Jersey by Afghan-born bombing suspect Ahmad Rahami, raising concerns among security officials that the missing Afghan students may be linked to terrorism or plans for attacks...

More than half a dozen military trainees from Afghanistan have disappeared over the course of about two weeks. They were training at U.S. bases, including Fort Gordon in Augusta and Fort Benning near Columbus. “It’s concerning and legitimately so,” Georgia State University security and counterterrorism expert Robert Friedmann said. Seven trainees went AWOL from bases so far this month. Friedmann says he doesn’t think the timing is a coincidence. “It's fairly likely that it was coordinated, because that's too much of a coincidence,” he said.

Seven Afghan students in U.S. military programs went absent without leave or AWOL this month, including two from Fort Benning. Patrick Evans, the Commander of the U.S. Navy Defense Press Operations confirms that four went AWOL over the Labor Day weekend - the two from Fort Benning, one from Fort Lee, VA and one from Little Rock, AR.