Iraq’s army has finally gained control of a camp holding anti-Iran terrorists after five years, says an Iraqi military official.
Major General Mohammed al-Askari, spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Defense, told Iraqi al-Forat TV that a battalion of military forces has surrounded Camp Ashraf of the Mujahedeen Khalq Organization (MKO) since Wednesday night, Fars News Agency reported.
The action came after the Iraqi government pressured the US forces in Iraq to end its support for the group and give the army control of the camp two months ago.
According to reports, some 3,400 MKO terrorists remain in Camp Ashraf situated in Diyala province, 60 kilometers north of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
Earlier, The Iraqi government and parliament announced that they are seeking a rapid final solution to remove the remaining members of the MKO from Iraq and shut down Camp Ashraf.
Iraqi officials say the group is playing a significant role in violence and insecurity in the country.
Along with at least six other sites in Iraq, Camp Ashraf was given to the MKO as their headquarters and training site by the former Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein.
It was from this base the MKO launched operations against Iran during the Iran-Iraq war and later assisted Saddam in violently suppressing the Iraqi Kurds during the 1991 uprising.
The MKO is blacklisted by many countries including EU member states as a terrorist organization. The group has claimed responsibility for hundreds of terror attacks inside Iran.
