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US Defense Secretary postpones visit to Saudi Arabia — Pentagon

Lloyd Austin has postponed it due to "scheduling problems"

WASHINGTON, September 9. /TASS/. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has postponed his visit to Saudi Arabia indefinitely, the Pentagon press service told TASS.

According to the press service, the minister's trip to Saudi Arabia has been postponed due to "scheduling problems", and he hopes to reconsider the timing of the trip at the earliest opportunity.

Austin traveled to the Middle East late last week to discuss with partners in the region the situation in Afghanistan after the US withdrawal from the country. He has already visited Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and then was supposed to go to Saudi Arabia during this trip.

On August 30, the United States completed both the evacuation of civilians from Kabul and its entire military mission in Afghanistan after power in the republic came under the control of the radical Taliban movement (outlawed in Russia). On April 14, US President Joe Biden announced the decision to end the operation in that country, which began in October 2001 and became the longest foreign military campaign in US history.

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