WASHINGTON: Three officers of the Afghan National army were arrested on Monday at the Canadian border as they tried to enter Canada.

The officers had disappeared from a US military base on Saturday while taking part in a joint training exercise.

Law-enforcement officers told NBC News that the men were detained at the Rainbow Bridge Canadian-US border crossing near Niagara Falls.

Earlier in the day, security personnel at Joint Base Cape Cod, Massachusetts, informed the media that the three had disappeared from the base after a training session on Saturday.

An official statement identified the officers as Maj. Jan Mohammad Arash, 48, Capt. Mohammad Nasir Askarzada, 18, and Capt. Noorullah Aminyar, 20.

Pentagon officials, however, told Fox News that they never considered the missing officers a security threat. Apparently, they were trying to seek political asylum in Canada.

The officers arrived at Camp Edwards on Sept. 11. They were seen during a day off at the Cape Cod Mall in Hyannis before their arrest.

The officers were among 200 soldiers from six countries who were taking part in this joint exercise. Last month two Afghan police officers also had disappeared during a sessions but were arrested and returned to Afghanistan.

Massachusetts National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. James Sahady told the Cape Cod Times that the men had the freedom to come and go.

The exercises have been held annually since 2004 to promote cooperation and interoperability among US and allied forces. The US Central Command sponsors the exercise.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2014