Despite Iraq’s decision to close Camp Ashraf, the US has proposed that the terrorists residing in the base be relocated before their final resettlement in third countries.
A senior US State Department official said on Thursday the plan was aimed at preventing more violence at Camp Ashraf, referring to a clash between Iraqi forces and members of terrorist Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) back in April.
The incident, in which 34 MKO terrorists were reportedly killed, occurred on April 8 when Iraqi armed forces clashed with residents at Camp Ashraf who had been hurling stones at soldiers for two days.
"Given the history of provocation, we are deeply concerned about the possibility of future violence," Reuters quoted the US official as saying on condition of anonymity.
The official said the Iraqi government was studying the new plan which would then be presented to the leaders of Camp Ashraf.
In April, Iraq’s government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Baghdad is determined to shut down Camp Ashraf, located north of the capital, and disband the terrorist group.
Members of the MKO fled to Iraq in 1986, where they enjoyed the support of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, and set up Camp Ashraf in Diyala province, near the Iranian border.
The group has carried out numerous acts of terror and violence against Iranian civilians and government officials.
The terror organization is also known to have cooperated with Saddam in suppressing the 1991 uprisings in southern Iraq and the massacre of Iraqi Kurds in the north.
Tehran has repeatedly called on the Iraqi government to expel the group, but the US has been blocking the expulsion by pressuring the Iraqi government.
