Posted on 03/29/2008 1:24:00 PM PDT by kiriath_jearim
Two Indian soldiers have gone missing from a military base in California where they were participating in joint training exercises with US troops, the State Department said Friday.
"We can confirm reports that two Indian soldiers disappeared from Camp Pendleton during a training assignment," the State Department said in a statement.
India's consulate in San Francisco requested assistance from the US Office of Foreign Missions in Los Angeles to help track down the pair.
"We are working with the Department of Defense, as well as state and local law enforcement agencies, to provide the Indian government with all the help it needs to locate these individuals," the State Department said.
The statement did not name the individuals or address the circumstances of their disappearance.
A US Marine Corps website described Exercise Shatrujeet 2008 as a two-week joint operation with the Indian army to "share knowledge and build interoperabililty for possible future operations."
US-India military relations were marked by mistrust during the Cold War, but there has been a significant change in relations in recent years as Washington and New Delhi pursue expanded arms deals and annual joint exercises.
US Says 2 Soldiers From India Missing
19 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) Two soldiers from India have disappeared from a sprawling Marine base, and the U.S. government is helping the Indian government search for them, the State Department said Friday.
Spokesman Sean McCormack said the unidentified Indians disappeared during a training assignment at Camp Pendleton in southern California.
“Our Office of Foreign Missions in Los Angeles received a letter today from the Indian Consulate in San Francisco requesting assistance in liaising with local law enforcement officials about the missing soldiers,” McCormack said in a statement.
The State Department is working with the Defense Department and state and local law enforcement agencies “to provide the Indian government with all the help it needs to locate these individuals,” McCormack said.
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g8vUAcwmHwCFWs-7x-LtTo5qfelwD8VMOV7O0
Missing soldiers not deserters yet
3/29/2008 6:53:59 PM
The Gorkha Regiment.
A full scale manhunt has been launched by the Indian Embassy along with US authorities to locate 2 Indian Army soldiers who went missing soon after their training in a military base in California, US.
Sources in the Army have told TIMES NOW that the Indians will be declared deserters if they do not turn themselves in the next 3 weeks and will be thrown out of the Army.
The missing soldiers belonging to the First Gorkha Regiment were part of the Indian troops, who were taking part in joint counter terrorism exercises with the US Marines.
The two missing soldiers, Sanjay Mahato and Santosh Thapa went missing from Camp Pendleton on the last day of the exercise on March 20. A police case has been registered in California about the two missing soldiers, who left all their belongings, clothes, money and passport, in their rooms.
What India says:
Indian embassy is taking steps to locate the 2 missing Indian soldiers. India’s consulate in San Francisco has requested for assistance from the US Office of Foreign Missions in Los Angeles and the 2 missing Indians have been declared as absent without leave.
What the US says:
Meanwhile, the US has Confirmed reports of the disappearance of the missing Indians. US has assured the Indian government all the help it needs to locate the missing Indian soldiers.
http://www.timesnow.tv/NewsDtls.aspx?NewsID=6833
Is your post indicating a previously-posted thread? I did a search and nothing came up. Does the AP story have better info?
No, I had just read two articles dealing with the same, and thought I’d post them here.
I don’t bother about double posts. With the number of articles posted here by the minute, it’s easy to not notice many major articles that were posted.
bkmark
They’ll turn up in Redmond at MS as contractors?
Ping!
(Makes ya go ‘hmmmmmmm....’)
Doesn't fit the stereotype.
That sounds rather ominous.
What is confusing is the title.
I wondered what they meant by “Indians.”
Do we have Indian Nationals serving in our armed forces now, or are they, ahem, Americans?
Okay I see a joint training thing. I am a very confused person ...
Yeah, I was wondering the same.
Were they Cheyenne or Pawnee?
;^)
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