Former Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi in October 2017, scolded then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, claiming the PMU was the hope for the future of Iraq. But Iraq wants support from the US for reconstruction and continued US training of key security forces, such as pilots or Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service. The US is therefore in a difficult relationship with Baghdad and the PMU, amid tensions with Iran. The message in Mosul to US forces was that this part of Iraq belongs not only to Iraqis, but to the PMU, and US forces should be aware. The confrontation coincided with the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution in Iran, and appears to be part of various attempts by pro-Iranian groups to test the US.