Iraq's head of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) - a coalition of some 70, mostly Shia militias - met with US Defence Secretary Mark Esper in Washington on Wednesday. Falih al-Fayyadh's visit comes a day after Iraq's prime minister directly blamed Israel for a series of airstrikes targeting Iranian-backed PMF forces in the country.
Al-Fayyadh is considered one of the more moderate voices in the PMF, also known as Hashd al-Shaabi, and has sought to rein in calls to target US interests in Iraq made by factions loyal to Iran.
According to a brief statement released by his office, Alfayyadh met Esper in the presence of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and discussed the relationship between the two countries.