Baghdad The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will leave the United States to visit Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on Thursday.
“During his visit, Austin will meet with state and military leaders in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the UAE, as well as the Minister in both countries will visit the American forces stationed there,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.
According to the statement, Austin will participate in Bahrain in the “Manama Dialogue Conference” held annually by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.
Austin visited the Middle East last September to express his gratitude to Washington’s allies for helping to evacuate American citizens and a number of Afghans from Afghanistan.
His tour at the time included Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait, with the postponement of the scheduled visit to Saudi Arabia.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency