Although characterizing an oasis in the scorching desert of Iraq, for sure Camp Ashraf is only an appendage of MKO’s superb heaven located on the green bank of d’Oise in France. In spite of the fact that Camp Ashraf is recently the focus of the group’s propaganda and MKO strenuously attempts to attract all attentions to the presence of MKO members therein, and that is just what the organization intended to pull off, the attention seems to have considerably fallen off the main stronghold in Auvers-Sur-Oise.
In any struggle, being it military or political, protection of the headquarters, commanders and leaders has the highest priority. The headquarters usually remain undetected and hardly their whereabouts are mentioned, otherwise highly guarded and protected, and the media plays the role of an efficient guardian by diverting attentions to subdivisions. That is much because of the leaders and policy-makers who are of the great magnitude than those who are executers of the policies and orders. When a solder dies, there are more at hand and easy to recruit to be replaced. It is not the same with chief commanders and figures that lead others for good or evil.
Making pillars of its first headquarters in Val d’Oise in France after the escape of its leading figures from Iran, MKO turned the district into a center of plotting terrorist operations against the Iranian regime. Being granted political asylum by French government as well as police protection, no better location could MKO have attained to reorganize. Of course no armed terrorist team marched out of the Val d’Oise’s gates; the teams positioned in other concealed dwellings on the Iranian borders and cities were the operators to carry out the orders delivered to them. Years later, it turned to be a great convenience when Saddam allocated a military camp and other facilities to them just close to Iranian borders. Taking advantage of the occasion, MKO temporarily moved to the provided camps in Iraq but kept the headquarters in Val d’Oise active with some cadres energetically guarding the backbone.
In fact MKO’s settlement in Iraq was the successful outcome of a quest for a military and operational bastion wherein the group could freely train its army and operational teams and have easy access to multitudes of arms and ammunition depots provided by Saddam. There it was accountable to no international organization for its anti-human and cultic practices and enjoyed freedom of action since it was under the constant surveillance of no counter-terrorist system and intelligent service as it was getting in the way of the organization in the European countries.
The significance of the second abodes of Mojahedin located in Iraq, however, lies in the fact that there has been a heavily constructed bridge between them and those in the Val d’Oise district in France. Mojahedin never broke it when they relocated to Iraq but rather have reinforced it. The rush of many ranking cadres and leaders of MKO, including Maryam Rajavi, back to their headquarters in France after the invasion of the coalition forces indicate the cunning farsightedness of the group in safeguarding the main bastion in France. Of course, the big return did not go unnoticed by French intelligence. As Pierre de Bousquet, the director of the Directorate for Territorial Surveillance, France’s counterintelligence service, said in an interview “French intelligence noticed the arrival of an increasing number of Mujahedeen members and, after the Iraq war, of many of its soldiers”.
Now securely resettled in her palatine headquarters in Auvers-Sur-Oise, MKO’s queen needs scapegoats to be sacrificed for the sake of the organization itself rather than any other political cause like overthrowing the Iranian regime. No more on the list of the European terror list, MKO is deprived of its potentiality as an armed group but is availing itself of the high potentialities of a dangerous cult that has already displayed what it is capable of doing in the heart of the modern world. Many are of the opinion that Mojahedin have managed to build another Camp Ashraf in France. An erroneous observation! Camp Ashraf is product of Auvers-Sur-Oise, the heart and the head. It is the root that can develop Camp Ashrafs everywhere in a new land.
Alas! Nobody seems to be taking the danger and menace of the seemingly courteous people of the Auvers-Sur-Oise palais serious. While they are reinforcing and heavily defending the robust walls of their stronghold in Auvers-Sur-Oise, all attentions are directed at the falling walls of Camp Ashraf!