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Ben Carson cancels planned Africa trip

A senior Carson campaign official says that the move came after government officials briefed the campaign on potential security concerns.

Presidential candidate Ben Carson is cancelling a planned trip to Africa, NBC News confirms.

A senior Carson campaign official says that the move came after government officials briefed the campaign on potential security concerns, adding that the cancellation was not related to Carson's recent slide in the polls.

Carson announced earlier this month that he planned to travel to Nigeria, Kenya and Zambia at the end of December. The itinerary included a reunion with Siamese Twins he separated nearly two decades ago, as well as "fact-finding" about terror group Boko Haram.

The announcement came amid mounting concerns about Carson's foreign policy expertise.

The former neurosurgeon has slid dramatically in national polls, falling from first place (at 29 percent) in a mid-October NBC/WSJ poll to fourth place (with 11 percent support) in December.

Carrie Dann contributed.

This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com