In a conversation with Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi, U.S. Secretary of Defense Esper “called on our Iraqi partners to continue to assist in preventing attacks on U.S. and coalition personnel and facilities in the country”. According to a readout of the conversation from the prime minister’s office, Abdul Mahdi “expressed his concern for those developments, demanding of exerting the efforts all joined in it to prevent that escalation which it will threat all and any kind of decline government and the Iraqi State will encourage for escalation and chaos”. He further “warned that taking unilateral decisions will have negative reactions that are difficult to control and threaten the security, sovereignty and independence of Iraq”.