Mattis heads to Middle East, Africa

Defense Secretary James Mattis left Friday to travel to the Middle East and Africa to “reaffirm the enduring U.S. commitment to partnerships,” according to the Pentagon.

Mattis will first stop in Egypt on Saturday to meet with President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Minister of Defense Sedki Sobhy, the Pentagon said in a statement Friday.

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On Sunday, Mattis will travel to Jordan — his second visit this year — to meet with King Abdullah II and participate in the Aqaba Process, “a meeting on countering violent extremism in West Africa.”

Mattis will then visit Pakistan on Monday, where he is planning to meet with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

He will wrap up the trip in Kuwait on Tuesday, where he will meet with Emir Sabah Ahmad al-Sabah and other Kuwaiti leaders.

The international trip overlaps with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s travel next week to Europe to meet with key NATO allies.