Washington: Efforts are on to trace two Indian soldiers who disappeared during a joint exercise with the US troops in California last week.

Other Indian soldiers who participated in the exercise at Camp Pendleton have left the United states while efforts are underway to locate the two missing soldiers, according to senior Indian officials in Washington and San Fransisco.

"There are two missing Indian soldiers and in military parlance they are AWOL -- absent without leave. We are taking steps to locate them," a senior official at the Indian embassy said.

Earlier sources in the External Affairs Ministry said the army contingent involved in the joint exercise found that two of its men -- Sanjay Mahato and Santosh Thapa -- were missing.

Approximately 120 Indian soldiers were in the US for the training which "went very well and they were happy with it," said Mike Alvarez, Deputy Press Officer at Camp Pendleton in California with the First Marine Expeditionary Force.

Major Stewart Upton of the Pentagon, who is coordinating the issue, said: "At this time what I can tell you is that we have been made aware of two Indian soldiers who became unaccounted for while participating in an exercise taking place at Camp Pendleton. It is also my understanding that the exercise apparently ended on the 20th of this month."

"Please contact the US State Department for diplomatic questions or the US Immigration and Law Enforcement officials in regard to any information concerning immigration questions," Major Upton said in an e-mail response.

At the State Department, Spokesman Sean McCormack was not even aware that such an incident had taken place.

"Let me post an answer for you.... (it's) first (time) I have heard of that incident" was all that McCormack said in his briefing.
Source : PTI