A member of the Iraqi parliament on Wednesday blasted Washington’s political games in the region, including its support for the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) as a pressure lever against Iran.
Speaking to FNA, Adnan al-Seraj underlined that Baghdad is resolved to expel the terrorist group from the country, but it has faced tough Washington opposition to the move.
"Washington is supporting and defending the group (MKO) in Iraq and its support for the group is aimed at imposing pressure on Iran."
"The Iraqi government’s decision for the expulsion of the MKO is very obvious and clear and the group should leave the country by the end of the current year."
The Iraqi lawmaker said that Baghdad is trying to find diplomatic ways to expel the group, and added, "If the US stops interfering in the expulsion process, the Iraqi government knows several peaceful ways to expel the group."
On Monday, Iraq announced that members of the terrorist group holed up in the country must leave by the end of the current year (2011).
Iraqi Government Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said that the cabinet is determined to shut down Camp Ashraf located north of the capital, Baghdad, and disband the terrorist group.
"The council of ministers has committed to implement an earlier decision about disbanding the terrorist group by the end of this year at the latest, and the necessity of getting it out of Iraq," the official noted.
The MKO has been in Iraq’s Diyala province since the 1980s.
Iraqi security forces took control of the training base of the MKO at Camp Ashraf – about 60km (37 miles) north of Baghdad – in 2009 and detained dozens of the members of the terrorist group.
The Iraqi authority also changed the name of the military center from Camp Ashraf to the Camp of New Iraq.
The MKO, whose main stronghold is in Iraq, is blacklisted by much of the international community, including the United States.
Before an overture by the EU, the MKO was on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations subject to an EU-wide assets freeze. Yet, the MKO puppet leader, Maryam Rajavi, who has residency in France, regularly visited Brussels and despite the ban enjoyed full freedom in Europe.
The MKO is behind a slew of assassinations and bombings inside Iran, a number of EU parliamentarians said in a recent letter in which they slammed a British court decision to remove the MKO from the British terror list. The EU officials also added that the group has no public support within Iran because of their role in helping Saddam Hussein in the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988).
The group started assassination of the citizens and officials after the revolution in a bid to take control of the newly established Islamic Republic. It killed several of Iran’s new leaders in the early years after the revolution, including the then President, Mohammad Ali Rajayee, Prime Minister, Mohammad Javad Bahonar and the Judiciary Chief, Mohammad Hossein Beheshti who were killed in bomb attacks by MKO members in 1981.
The group fled to Iraq in 1986, where it was protected by Saddam Hussein and where it helped the Iraqi dictator suppress Shiite and Kurd uprisings in the country.
The terrorist group joined Saddam’s army during the Iraqi imposed war on Iran (1980-1988) and helped Saddam and killed thousands of Iranian civilians and soldiers during the US-backed Iraqi imposed war on Iran.
Since the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, the group, which now adheres to a pro-free-market philosophy, has been strongly backed by neo-conservatives in the United States, who also argue for the MKO to be taken off the US terror list.
