“After you arrive in Tehran, you can do anything you like for 48 hours, kill anyone you like until I come to grant public amnesty.” Massoud Rajavi told MKO members while addressing them before the so called Eternal Light Operation; recalls Hadi Shabani who was present at the meeting. [1]
The Mujahedin Khalq launched "Eternal Light," against Iran in the immediate aftermath of Iran’s acceptance of the U.N.-brokered cease fire agreement on July 18, 1988.
Massoud Rajavi falsely analyzed the ceasefire as notifying the weakness of Iranian forces. So as the group leader tried to make advantages of the so called opportunity disregarding the disastrous outcome it may impose.
Rajavi dispatched its mostly untrained, inexperienced forces to the 4-day long operation.
The operation had no result but a total failure with more than 1300 MKO members being killed; many of whom just had been arrived from European countries to reach the operation with no or least military training under the order of Massoud Rajavi.
Massoud Banisadr ; MKO former member who was an active member of the group for twenty years and served as the organization’s representative to the United Nations and to the United States recalls:
“It was very horrible. There were 15 students who were from the United States, they were supporters. They were brought to Iraq and in the same night they were moved to the battle field. Because of my political rank I was a commander even though I had no military background. Only a few days before for the first time I saw a machine gun, and I only shot it once. .. Unfortunately I learned all 15 died because they didn’t have any training…”[2]
Actually it was not the only occasion the MKO Cult leaders who see the members’ lives just as a tool towards their cause, victimized the members in vain.
Their futile resist against transferring members from Camp Ashraf which caused several tragic events and led to the death of dozens of members as well as their reluctance to cooperate in moving Liberty residents who are living in limbo in terrorism dominated Iraq without clear future – – to third countries are just examples of the Cult leaders ignoring the members’ most basic rights to live in safe places.
The Mujahedin Khalq Organization either haven’t hesitate victimizing their own countrymen as they terrorized more than 12ooo Iranians ; during their so called struggle to bring the same people democracy! And now hand in hand with the enemies of the Iranian nation promote sanctions and war against Iran, the true targets of which are the ordinary people rather than the government.
So with regard to a cult-like group with no sympathy towards its countrymen or even its own members it is not weird to see them turning a blind eye to the genocide taking place in Gaza by its new lord, Israel.
A. Sepinoud
References:
[1] https://www.nejatngo.org/en/posts/2026
[2] Potter, Richard,The Cult in the Shadow War: An Interview with a former member of Mojahedin-e-Khalq, mondoweiss.net, November 26, 2013