Three Afghan soldiers go missing in Massachusetts

A search is unfolding for three Afghan soldiers who vanished in Massachusetts.

The members of the Afghan National Army were in training at Joint Base Cape Cod. CBS Boston's Ken MacLeod reports they were last seen Saturday.

A Pentagon official told CBS News correspondent David Martin that "based on extensive vetting we believe" the soldiers -- one major and two captains -- "pose no threat."

They disappeared while on a group tour of the mall, which was part of a "cultural" day during the a multinational table- top exercise in peacekeeping. The three were part of a larger group of foreign military officers who were being escorted by U.S. personnel. The officers were not required to surrender their passports, so they could still have them.

The Pentagon has provided local law enforcement with their photos. A number of local and federal agencies, including the FBI and the State Department are looking for them.

The three men are identified as Major Jan Mohammad Arash, Captain Mohammad Nasir Askarzada and Captain Noorullah Aminyar. They were last seen at the Cape Cod Mall in Hyannis on Saturday night.

They were just 3 of 15 Afghan National Army troops taking part in a training exercise at Camp Edwards along with 200 trainees from six other countries.

The disappearance is not unusual. Earlier this month, two Afghan police officers disappeared while training with the DEA in Quantico, Virginia. They turned up in Buffalo.

As for the three missing here, they were all highly ranked members of the Afghan army and vetted by the State Department. The search continues to find out where they could have gone.