diff --git a/include/iscsi-private.h b/include/iscsi-private.h
index aedbbe0..218cf74 100644
--- a/include/iscsi-private.h
+++ b/include/iscsi-private.h
@@ -284,6 +284,7 @@ void iscsi_pdu_set_itt(struct iscsi_pdu *pdu, uint32_t itt);
 void iscsi_pdu_set_ritt(struct iscsi_pdu *pdu, uint32_t ritt);
 void iscsi_pdu_set_datasn(struct iscsi_pdu *pdu, uint32_t datasn);
 void iscsi_pdu_set_bufferoffset(struct iscsi_pdu *pdu, uint32_t bufferoffset);
+void iscsi_cancel_pdus(struct iscsi_context *iscsi);
 int iscsi_pdu_add_data(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, struct iscsi_pdu *pdu,
 		       unsigned char *dptr, int dsize);
 int iscsi_queue_pdu(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, struct iscsi_pdu *pdu);
diff --git a/lib/connect.c b/lib/connect.c
index 4043f7c..d13cc62 100644
--- a/lib/connect.c
+++ b/lib/connect.c
@@ -270,34 +270,11 @@ void iscsi_set_reconnect_max_retries(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, int count)
 
 void iscsi_defer_reconnect(struct iscsi_context *iscsi)
 {
-	struct iscsi_pdu *pdu;
-
 	iscsi->reconnect_deferred = 1;
 
 	ISCSI_LOG(iscsi, 2, "reconnect deferred, cancelling all tasks");
 
-	while ((pdu = iscsi->outqueue)) {
-		ISCSI_LIST_REMOVE(&iscsi->outqueue, pdu);
-		if (iscsi->is_loggedin && pdu->callback) {
-			/* If an error happened during connect/login,
-			   we don't want to call any of the callbacks.
-			 */
-			pdu->callback(iscsi, SCSI_STATUS_CANCELLED,
-			              NULL, pdu->private_data);
-		}
-		iscsi->drv->free_pdu(iscsi, pdu);
-	}
-	while ((pdu = iscsi->waitpdu)) {
-		ISCSI_LIST_REMOVE(&iscsi->waitpdu, pdu);
-		if (iscsi->is_loggedin && pdu->callback) {
-			/* If an error happened during connect/login,
-			   we don't want to call any of the callbacks.
-			 */
-			pdu->callback(iscsi, SCSI_STATUS_CANCELLED,
-			              NULL, pdu->private_data);
-		}
-		iscsi->drv->free_pdu(iscsi, pdu);
-	}
+	iscsi_cancel_pdus(iscsi);
 }
 
 void iscsi_reconnect_cb(struct iscsi_context *iscsi _U_, int status,
diff --git a/lib/init.c b/lib/init.c
index 34a95a5..0bcf1b7 100644
--- a/lib/init.c
+++ b/lib/init.c
@@ -338,7 +338,6 @@ iscsi_set_targetname(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, const char *target_name)
 int
 iscsi_destroy_context(struct iscsi_context *iscsi)
 {
-	struct iscsi_pdu *pdu;
 	int i;
 
 	if (iscsi == NULL) {
@@ -349,28 +348,7 @@ iscsi_destroy_context(struct iscsi_context *iscsi)
 		iscsi_disconnect(iscsi);
 	}
 
-	while ((pdu = iscsi->outqueue)) {
-		ISCSI_LIST_REMOVE(&iscsi->outqueue, pdu);
-		if (iscsi->is_loggedin && pdu->callback) {
-			/* If an error happened during connect/login, we don't want to
-			   call any of the callbacks.
-			 */
-			pdu->callback(iscsi, SCSI_STATUS_CANCELLED, NULL,
-			              pdu->private_data);
-		}
-		iscsi->drv->free_pdu(iscsi, pdu);
-	}
-	while ((pdu = iscsi->waitpdu)) {
-		ISCSI_LIST_REMOVE(&iscsi->waitpdu, pdu);
-		if (iscsi->is_loggedin && pdu->callback) {
-			/* If an error happened during connect/login, we don't want to
-			   call any of the callbacks.
-			 */
-			pdu->callback(iscsi, SCSI_STATUS_CANCELLED, NULL,
-			              pdu->private_data);
-		}
-		iscsi->drv->free_pdu(iscsi, pdu);
-	}
+	iscsi_cancel_pdus(iscsi);
 
 	if (iscsi->outqueue_current != NULL && iscsi->outqueue_current->flags & ISCSI_PDU_DELETE_WHEN_SENT) {
 		iscsi->drv->free_pdu(iscsi, iscsi->outqueue_current);
diff --git a/lib/iscsi-command.c b/lib/iscsi-command.c
index 5be7ee2..8b6859a 100644
--- a/lib/iscsi-command.c
+++ b/lib/iscsi-command.c
@@ -2697,22 +2697,5 @@ iscsi_scsi_cancel_task(struct iscsi_context *iscsi,
 void
 iscsi_scsi_cancel_all_tasks(struct iscsi_context *iscsi)
 {
-	struct iscsi_pdu *pdu;
-
-	while ((pdu = iscsi->waitpdu)) {
-		ISCSI_LIST_REMOVE(&iscsi->waitpdu, pdu);
-		if (pdu->callback) {
-			pdu->callback(iscsi, SCSI_STATUS_CANCELLED, NULL,
-				      pdu->private_data);
-		}
-		iscsi->drv->free_pdu(iscsi, pdu);
-	}
-	while ((pdu = iscsi->outqueue)) {
-		ISCSI_LIST_REMOVE(&iscsi->outqueue, pdu);
-		if (pdu->callback) {
-			pdu->callback(iscsi, SCSI_STATUS_CANCELLED, NULL,
-				      pdu->private_data);
-		}
-		iscsi->drv->free_pdu(iscsi, pdu);
-	}
+	iscsi_cancel_pdus(iscsi);
 }
diff --git a/lib/pdu.c b/lib/pdu.c
index 0bcbe11..441efa7 100644
--- a/lib/pdu.c
+++ b/lib/pdu.c
@@ -168,7 +168,6 @@ iscsi_tcp_free_pdu(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, struct iscsi_pdu *pdu)
 	iscsi_sfree(iscsi, pdu);
 }
 
-
 int
 iscsi_add_data(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, struct iscsi_data *data,
 	       unsigned char *dptr, int dsize, int pdualignment)
@@ -252,7 +251,6 @@ iscsi_get_pdu_data_size(const unsigned char *hdr)
 	return size;
 }
 
-
 int
 iscsi_get_pdu_padding_size(const unsigned char *hdr)
 {
@@ -332,7 +330,6 @@ int iscsi_process_target_nop_in(struct iscsi_context *iscsi,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-
 static void iscsi_reconnect_after_logout(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, int status,
                         void *command_data _U_, void *opaque _U_)
 {
@@ -392,7 +389,6 @@ int iscsi_process_reject(struct iscsi_context *iscsi,
 	return 0;
 }
 
-
 static void iscsi_process_pdu_serials(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, struct iscsi_in_pdu *in)
 {
 	uint32_t itt = scsi_get_uint32(&in->hdr[16]);
@@ -770,5 +766,34 @@ iscsi_timeout_scan(struct iscsi_context *iscsi)
 int
 iscsi_queue_pdu(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, struct iscsi_pdu *pdu)
 {
-        return iscsi->drv->queue_pdu(iscsi, pdu);
+	return iscsi->drv->queue_pdu(iscsi, pdu);
+}
+
+void
+iscsi_cancel_pdus(struct iscsi_context *iscsi)
+{
+	struct iscsi_pdu *pdu;
+
+	while ((pdu = iscsi->outqueue)) {
+		ISCSI_LIST_REMOVE(&iscsi->outqueue, pdu);
+		if (iscsi->is_loggedin && pdu->callback) {
+			/* If an error happened during connect/login,
+			   we don't want to call any of the callbacks.
+			*/
+			pdu->callback(iscsi, SCSI_STATUS_CANCELLED,
+			              NULL, pdu->private_data);
+		}
+		iscsi->drv->free_pdu(iscsi, pdu);
+	}
+	while ((pdu = iscsi->waitpdu)) {
+		ISCSI_LIST_REMOVE(&iscsi->waitpdu, pdu);
+		if (iscsi->is_loggedin && pdu->callback) {
+			/* If an error happened during connect/login,
+			   we don't want to call any of the callbacks.
+			*/
+			pdu->callback(iscsi, SCSI_STATUS_CANCELLED,
+			              NULL, pdu->private_data);
+		}
+		iscsi->drv->free_pdu(iscsi, pdu);
+	}
 }
diff --git a/lib/sync.c b/lib/sync.c
index ce59c29..f8a139c 100644
--- a/lib/sync.c
+++ b/lib/sync.c
@@ -114,6 +114,11 @@ iscsi_connect_sync(struct iscsi_context *iscsi, const char *portal)
 	/* clear connect_data so it doesnt point to our stack */
 	iscsi->connect_data = NULL;
 
+	/* in case of error, cancel any pending pdus */
+	if (state.status != SCSI_STATUS_GOOD) {
+		iscsi_cancel_pdus(iscsi);
+	}
+
 	return (state.status == SCSI_STATUS_GOOD) ? 0 : -1;
 }
 
@@ -135,6 +140,11 @@ iscsi_full_connect_sync(struct iscsi_context *iscsi,
 
 	event_loop(iscsi, &state);
 
+	/* in case of error, cancel any pending pdus */
+	if (state.status != SCSI_STATUS_GOOD) {
+		iscsi_cancel_pdus(iscsi);
+	}
+
 	return (state.status == SCSI_STATUS_GOOD) ? 0 : -1;
 }