US secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with the Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Al Thani on Mon-day, January 31, 2022, and discussed regional secu-rity issues including cooperation on Afghanistan, said Pentagon Press in a statement.
“Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Amir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Al Thani at the Penta-gon to affirm the strength of the US-Qatar defense partnership and its key role in the US strategic bilat-eral relationship.” Reads the Pentagon statement. The statement further reads that Austin has reiter-ated heartfelt gratitude to the Amir of Qatar for his indispensable and ongoing support of the US in Afghanistan. Both have also discussed security concerns in the regions, de-escalating tensions in the region, and the full scope of threats from Iran.—TOLO