Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Call with Qatar Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs, His Excellency Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah

 Aug. 27, 2021

---

Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby provided the following readout:

Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Qatar Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs, His Excellency Dr. Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Attiyah about the situation in Afghanistan.

The Secretary thanked Minister Al-Attiyah for Qatar’s generous support in facilitating the safe transit of U.S. citizens, Embassy Kabul personnel, and at-risk Afghans through Qatar.  Both leaders acknowledged the strong U.S.-Qatar partnership, which quickly enabled Qatar’s critical support to Afghanistan evacuation operations.