Republican presidential contender Ben Carson is canceling plans to visit Africa later this month.
Carson spokesman Doug Watts said Thursday that "significant security concerns" forced the campaign to abandon the high-profile trip to Nigeria, Kenya and Zambia.
Carson last week announced the three-nation swing in late December to trace his heritage and visit a Nigerian hospital bearing his name.
Watts says the decision to cancel had nothing to do with Carson's recent slide in the polls. He says it simply "wasn't prudent given the information we were provided."
As for what's next, Watts said: "we've got to put our heads down in Iowa and go to it."
Iowa's presidential caucuses are scheduled for February 1.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
