BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan  —  A U.S. Air Force officer went missing while shopping in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek, the U.S. air base in this Central Asian nation said Tuesday.

Maj. Jill Metzger separated from a group of other service members while visiting the central department store in Bishkek on Monday afternoon and has not been seen since, the Manas air base press service said.

CountyWatch: Kyrgyzstan

It said a group of 22 U.S. military investigators and logistics officers were searching for Metzger, along with the U.S. Embassy and Kyrgyz security and law enforcement services.

The U.S. military has maintained the air base at the impoverished ex-Soviet republic's main civilian Manas airport, about 20 miles from Bishkek, since 2001 to back operations in nearby Afghanistan.