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Afghan soldiers who left Massachusetts stand to be deported

The three Afghan soldiers found at the Canadian border were in the U.S. for military training at Joint Base Cape Cod in Massachusetts.
(Steven Senne / Associated Press)
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The three Afghan soldiers who went missing while in Massachusetts for military training and were found trying to enter Canada are facing immigration charges and stand to be deported, U.S. officials said Tuesday.

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman said the agency took custody of the Afghan nationals Tuesday morning.

“They are being charged with administrative immigration violations and placed into removal proceedings,” the agency said in a statement.

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The Afghan officers were reported missing late Saturday after a trip to a shopping mall in Hyannis, Mass., about 20 miles from Joint Base Cape Cod, where they were involved in a training exercise. A Defense Department official said Monday that they had been found trying to cross into Canada and were taken into custody.

The three, identified as Maj. Jan Mohammad Arash, Capt. Mohammad Nasir Askarzada and Capt. Noorullah Aminy, arrived at Joint Base Cape Cod on Sept. 11. Personnel from Tajikistan, Pakistan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia were also there for the training, which is part of a series of annual events and is sponsored by the U.S. Central Command. Such training has taken place every year since 2004; last year’s exercise was in Germany.

The exercises took place at Camp Edwards, home to the Massachusetts National Guard and part of Joint Base Cape Cod, which includes a replica of an operating base used by soldiers in areas such as Afghanistan.

The three Afghans were part of a chaperoned group taken to the mall Saturday to sightsee and observe aspects of American culture, the military said. U.S. officials vetted them before letting them into the country.

Times staff writers Michael Muskal in Los Angeles and W.J. Hennigan in Washington contributed to this report.

For more news, follow @raablauren on Twitter.

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