FBI on the hunt for two senior Afghan spies missing in the US

[Darth Vader]

Jim Miller | CBS News

The FBI is looking for two senior Afghan intelligence officials who have disappeared from Washington, D.C.

Major Mohd Farooq Ghanizada is the chief of the Counterterrorism and Organized Crime Section. Captain Alibaba Ghashee is the deputy chief of the American and European Department. Both officers work for the National Security Directorate (NDS), which is Afghanistan's intelligence agency. Both were supposed to meet their U.S. government hosts in front of a Washington hotel for a return flight to Afghanistan last Friday, but neither showed for the ride to Dulles Airport.

Ghanizada and Khashee were here as part of an elite executive training program called the George C. Marshall Center for Advanced Security Studies program. The Marshal Center brings in top officials from military and security agencies from NATO members and other allied countries for the rigorous 10-week course.

It is a joint program run by the U.S. and German governments and is headquartered in the Alps in Garmisch, Germany. Part of the course involves a trip to Washington DC where students are given briefings by Pentagon officials, FBI executives and tour the Supreme Court. The course is meant to highlight how security functions in a democracy.

Relations between the U.S. military and Afghan partners have been strained after a series of "green on blue" attacks where Afghan police or military members have opened fire on their U.S. trainers. Having two highly trained Afghan intelligence officials possibly hiding on U.S. soil sounds like plot twist from an episode of "Homeland" and gives US officials concern.

The reason behind the disappearance may be much more mundane. A law enforcement official said investigators believe it is more likely that the two ranking Afghan intelligence officers may just want to stay in the U.S. a little longer, or could be heading to Canada where asylum rules are fairly liberal.

After being nominated by the Afghan National Security Directorate to attend the George C. Marshall Center for Security Studies, both Afghans were put through a background investigation before being accepted. A U.S. official, speaking on background told CBS News that during the course, there was no sign of anything unusual with the two.

"Major Ghanizada was active during the FST (field study trip) and asked coherent and well thought out questions. Captain Khashee was more subdued but was present and participated in all venues," the official said.

An alert has been sent to FBI offices, Homeland Security and police agencies across the country as well as airports and border crossings.

 

[VCheng]

............
The reason behind the disappearance may be much more mundane. A law enforcement official said investigators believe it is more likely that the two ranking Afghan intelligence officers may just want to stay in the U.S. a little longer, or could be heading to Canada where asylum rules are fairly liberal................

Bingo!

That explanation is likely correct.

 

[JonAsad]

Or they are held by FBI- because they said NO to be a part of an evil amrikan plan-

 

[Oldman1]

Or they are held by FBI- because they said NO to an evil amrikan plan-

Then they wouldn't even been heading to the U.S. Could have easily defected to the other side. Not try to escape in U.S.

It be like international soccer players or baseball players that went missing in U.S. because they said no to evil American plans.

 

[Sher Malang]

They and Americans know they were intelligence officers and they can't be vanished like this for asylum something is fishy here!

 

[JonAsad]

Then they wouldn't even been heading to the U.S. Could have easily defected to the other side. Not try to escape in U.S.

It be like international soccer players or baseball players that went missing in U.S. because they said no to evil American plans.

Disappearing in afghanistan will hv them easily found or killed- atleast in so called land free they might have a better chance of survival- dont you think?-

They and Americans know they were intelligence officers and they can't be vanished like this for asylum something is fishy here!

Exactly- they must have been officially escorted-

 

[Oldman1]

Disappearing in afghanistan will hv them easily found or killed- atleast in so called land free they might have a better chance of survival- dont you think?-

Really? I thought they have a higher chance in Afghanistan compare to U.S. where many Americans die from guns. After all many infiltrators in Afghanistan have shot and killed their colleagues and escaped successfully to the Taliban side. Especially where mountains are at and less surveillance.

 

[Sher Malang]

Exactly- they must have been officially escorted-

Sure they will not be treated like the civilians especially when they take them USA to teach them 'what to do in Afghanistan and what to not'; I hope NDS start it's own investigation on this matter.

 

[JonAsad]

Really? I thought they have a higher chance in Afghanistan compare to U.S. where many Americans die from guns. After all many infiltrators in Afghanistan have shot and killed their colleagues and escaped successfully to the Taliban side. Especially where mountains are at and less surveillance.

They were called to US as per news peace-
So they didnt knew what is in store for them until they step their foot in amrika-
So logically they cant dissapear in afghanistan-

 

[Oldman1]

They were called to US as per news peace-
So they didnt knew what is in store for them until they step their foot in amrika-
So logically they cant dissapear in afghanistan-

Soccer and baseball players also didn't know what was in store for them until they step foot into America. So logically they couldn't disappear in their own countries.

 

[JonAsad]

Soccer and baseball players also didn't know what was in store for them until they step foot into America. So logically they couldn't disappear in their own countries.

Thats a child i am talking two- who doesnt know the differences and concequences between dissapearance of sport players or senior spies-

 

[iranigirl2]

hmm... I wonder whats REALLY going on.

 

[Oldman1]

Thats a child i am talking two- who doesnt know the differences and concequences between dissapearance of sport players or senior spies-

I'm talking with a child who doesn't have an open mind thinking outside the box assuming that a person's position is guaranteed that there is a conspiracy.

For example the recent suicide by a Secret Service. Does that mean there is a conspiracy?

 

[JonAsad]

I'm talking with a child who doesn't have an open mind thinking outside the box assuming that a person's position is guaranteed that there is a conspiracy.

For example the recent suicide by a Secret Service. Does that mean there is a conspiracy?

Usually you dont tell the public when a spy is dissapeared- it happens a lot in this business- unless a cover up was necessary and cover up it is- i find it hard to believe otherwise old man-

 

[Oldman1]

Usually you dont tell the public when a spy is dissapeared- it happens a lot in this business- unless a cover up was necessary and cover up it is- i find it hard to believe otherwise old man-

Wouldn't have been more convenient to cover up by not telling the public at all? After all the Afghan intelligence officers have yet to come forward and claim they are being hunted down and will be killed. Its better to have them killed quietly after capture and say it was an accident instead of saying they escaped and running for their lives right now to the public? I find it hard to believe you think such a thing.

After all in the past the U.S. govt. would alert all agencies to find them asap instead of being quiet.