Iraq to Shutdown Camp Ashraf

Iraq to Build a Mall in MKO’s Camp Ashraf

The local administration of the Iraqi town of Khalis declared plans to build a mall in Camp Ashraf – the main training center of the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) – after all members of the terrorist group are expelled from the Camp. Iraq to Build a Mall in MKO's Camp Ashraf

Khalis Mayor Uday AlKhadran told a press conference that an Iraqi court has transfered the authority of the site to the local administration of Khalis which plans to build a mall in there once all MKO terrorists are expelled from the Camp.

"The Camp of New Iraq (Ashraf) still accomodates 100 members of the MKO members, and the rest have already been transferred at the order of the UN to (the transient facility in Camp Liberty in Northern) Baghdad during the last year in preparation for housing them in other countries.

He further pointed to "the suspicious political activities of Ashraf residents who refused to sell the property of Camp Ashraf in accordance with their earlier agreement with the Iraqi government, despite receiving attractive offers from Iraqi and foreign traders and companies".

The Iraqi government evacuated Camp Ashraf almost completely last Summer and moved more than 3 thousand MKO members to Camp Liberty, and kept only 100 members in the Camp of New Iraq (Camp Ashraf) to complete the sale of property and transfer the money to the MKO.

The Diyala province which hosts Camp Ashraf has on several occasions declared its intention to invest in the Camp to turn it into a tourist site and build a large commercial exchange center for trade between Iraq’s Kurdistan region and Baghdad.

The MKO was a long-standing member of the US State Department’s list of terrorist organizations, but after heavy lobbying the group was dropped from the list last year. The group was allied to Saddam Hussein and retains a significant presence at Camp Liberty, and formerly at Camp Ashraf (its main training camp) during the US occupation.

The MKO group, founded in the 1960s, blended elements of Islamism and Stalinism and participated in the overthrow of the US-backed Shah of Iran in 1979. Ahead of the revolution, the MKO conducted attacks and assassinations against both Iranian and Western targets.

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 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 eventually took the MKO off the US terror list.

The US formally removed the MKO from its list of terror organizations in early September 2012, one week after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent the US Congress a classified communication about the move. The decision made by Clinton enabled the group to have its assets under US jurisdiction unfrozen and do business with American entities, the State Department said in a statement at the time.

In September 2012, the last groups of the MKO terrorists left Camp Ashraf, their main training center in Iraq’s Diyala province. They have been transferred to Camp Liberty which lies Northeast of the Baghdad International Airport.

July 24, 2013 0 comments

Martin Kobler: Ashraf residents should cooperate

Iraq: UN envoy flags improved Kuwait links, with progress depending on ‘restoration of confidence’
Martin Kobler: Ashraf residents should cooperate
29 November 2012 – Highlighting improvements in relations between Iraq and Kuwait, the United Nations top official in Iraq today said that progress will “depend on the restoration of confidence between both sides” and encouraged further momentum from the two countries.

In a briefing to the Security Council on the situation in the Middle Eastern country, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Martin Kobler, noted how, earlier this year, Iraq demonstrated renewed commitment to improving its bilateral relations with Kuwait, and how he had “stepped-up” engagement with the two countries to see how the UN could best help resolve any outstanding issues in accordance with relevant Council resolutions.

“In this context, I recently held high-level meetings in Iraq and Kuwait where I was encouraged by the strong commitment that both Prime Minister Maliki and the Amir of Kuwait expressed to normalizing relations between their two countries,” Mr. Kobler said. “I very much hope that they will now be able to move quickly and they can count on the UN in this regard.”

Relations between the two countries were affected by Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The following year, the Security Council established the UN Compensation Commission (UNCC), which settles the damage claims of those who suffered losses in the invasion.

So far, the amount of compensation disbursed by the UNCC totals $37.7 billion for more than 1.5 million successful claims of individuals, corporations, Governments and international organizations. Successful claims are paid with funds drawn from the UN Compensation Fund, which is funded by a percentage of the proceeds generated by the export sales of Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products.

In his remarks, Mr. Kobler appealed to the Government of Iraq to “continue to demonstrate the goodwill necessary to fulfil Iraq’s other outstanding obligations, in particular to missing persons and property.” He noted how its commitment to fulfil these obligations will be conducive to the normalisation of relations between the two countries.

“I equally call on the Government of Kuwait to continue to act in a spirit of flexibility and reciprocity as reflected earlier this year by the important reciprocal visits of the Amir in Baghdad and Prime Minister Maliki in Kuwait,” he said, adding that he remains fully committed to working with both Governments to resolve bilateral issues, at their request.

In his briefing, in addition to a range of other issues related to Iraq, the envoy also addressed the situation affecting Iranian exiles located in a camp outside of the capital, Baghdad, urging the international community to come forward with offers for their resettlement.

“I wish to emphasize that Camp Liberty was only meant to be an interim facility to facilitate the Refugee Status Determination and subsequent resettlement in third countries,” the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Martin Kobler, told a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle Eastern country.

“I should like to take this opportunity to reiterate the Secretary-General’s appeal to Member States to offer resettlement opportunities to former residents of Camp Ashraf – without such an undertaking, there can be no sustainable solution for the residents,” he added.

In line with a memorandum of understanding signed in December by the UN and the Iraqi Government to resolve the situation, more than 3,100 of the 3,280 residents originally in Camp Ashraf – now also known as Camp New Iraq – have been re-located to a temporary transit location near Baghdad, known as Camp Hurriya – and formerly known as Camp Liberty – where a process to determine refugee status is being carried out by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). There are 100 residents left in Camp Ashraf.

The issue of Camp Ashraf – located in eastern Iraq and once made up of several thousand Iranian exiles, many of them members of a group known as the People’s Mojahedeen of Iran – has been one of the main issues dealt with by UNAMI for more than a year.

“The Government of Iraq insists to close Camp Ashraf in the next days,” Mr. Kobler said. “It requested the last 100 residents be relocated to Camp Hurriya.”

He noted that UNAMI has spared no effort over the last weeks to help facilitate meetings between involved parties – however, these efforts have been unsuccessful so far, leading to a stalemate.

“The Government of Iraq considers this stalemate as an attempt by the residents to delay the relocation of the remaining 100 persons,” Mr. Kobler said. “The Government of Iraq’s patience is, therefore, wearing thin. I call on the residents of Ashraf to cooperate with the Government of Iraq to solve all outstanding questions related to property.”

The envoy also called on the Government of Iraq to maintain the peaceful relocation of the residents as stipulated in the memorandum of understanding, to demonstrate restraint, and be as flexible as possible when it comes to resolving property-related issues.

In addition, he noted that UN staff who monitor the human rights and humanitarian situation of the residents of Camp Hurriya on a daily basis are often denied access to certain areas of the site which “hinders the performance of their duties.”

“I urge the residents to engage constructively with the Government of Iraq and the United Nations so that Camp Ashraf can be closed peacefully and efforts can focus on the residents’ resettlement to third countries,” he added.

December 2, 2012 0 comments

MEK Camp Ashraf

Intl. reporters visit Camp Ashraf for the first time

Reporters from Iran and a number of other countries visited Iraq’s Camp Ashraf for the first time on Tuesday. Intl. reporters visit Camp Ashraf for the first time

Members of the terrorist Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) used to live in the camp, but an agreement reached between the United Nations and the Iraqi government in December 2011 called for their relocation to Camp Liberty (Hurriya), a former U.S. military base near Baghdad.

About 3100 members of the group have so far been relocated to Camp Liberty, but 80 have not left the camp yet.

During Tuesday’s visit, the reporters were briefed on the process of the evacuation of MKO members, who will finally be expelled from Iraq.

The MKO started its activities as a terrorist group based in Iraq in the early 1980s. In addition to the assassination of hundreds of Iranian officials and citizens, the group cooperated with Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime in its repression of the Iraqi people.

On September 28, the U.S. State Department formally removed the MKO from its official list of terrorist organizations, a move which prompted angry response from Iran.

The U.S. made the decision under the claim that the group has renounced violence.

November 29, 2012 0 comments

The MEK Expulsion from Iraq

Ashraf will be fully evacuated in seven days

Baghdad has given a 7-day ultimatum to the anti-Iran terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO, also known as the MEK, NCR and PMOI) to fully evacuate Camp Ashraf, a senior Iraqi official stated on Wednesday.

"The complete evacuation of Ashraf Camp and transfer of MKO’s remaining members from there will begin next week," Iraqi Government Spokesman Ali al-Dabbaq told FNA in Baghdad on Wednesday.

Earlier this month, Tehran’s Ambassador to Baghdad Hassan Danayeefar had underlined that Iraqi officials have promised Tehran that they would expel the MKO members from their country very soon.

In September 2012, the last groups of the MKO terrorists left Camp Ashraf, their main training center in Iraq. They have been transferred to Camp Liberty which lies Northeast of the Baghdad International Airport.

Camp Liberty is a transient settlement facility and a last station for the MKO in Iraq.

Speaking to FNA about the latest status of the terrorist organization in Iraq, Danayeefar said, "These people are filling forms of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and we are waiting to see them leave Iraq’s soil as soon as possible."

"We have been assured that the move (expulsion) will start soon," the Iranian diplomat said.

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).

Many of the MKO members abandoned the terrorist organization while most of those still remaining in the grouplet are said to be willing to quit but are under pressure and torture not to do so.

A May 2005 Human Rights Watch report accused the MKO of running prison camps in Iraq and committing human rights violations.

According to the Human Rights Watch report, the outlawed group puts defectors under torture and jail terms.

The group, founded in the 1960s, blended elements of Islamism and Stalinism and participated in the overthrow of the US-backed Shah of Iran in 1979. Ahead of the revolution, the MKO conducted attacks and assassinations against both Iranian and Western targets.

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.

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 argued for the MKO to be taken off the US terror list.

The US formally removed the MKO from its list of terror organizations in early September, one week after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sent the US Congress a classified communication about the move. The decision made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton enabled the group to have its assets under US jurisdiction unfrozen and do business with American entities, the State Department said in a statement at the time.

November 15, 2012 0 comments

MEK Camp Ashraf

Camp Ashraf after evacuation

Photos recently released after evacuation of Ashraf residents:

Salvage Equipments. A number of MKO members remained in the Camp in order to sell them

Guard Station, currently abandoned and ruined

MKO members set all documents and photos on fire before their departure

Dissident members to revenge the group leaders

Lion Statues, at Ashraf gates, stolen from a Park in Kermanshah (a city in the West of Iran)

The MKO leaders had dig a ditch around the Camp to prevent members’ escape

Members who remain in the Camp

Stones used by deceived members to throw at families picketing in front of Ashraf gates.

Conex where families were picketing, damaged by rocks thrown by group members

A metal piece, residents used to throw under vehicles to tear their wheels

Group members guarding at the Camp entry

The area in front of torturing room, the word “HARRASMENT” is seen on the ground.

Torture Room

Torture Room, closed circuit Cameras installed on the ceiling

Coffins

Camp Ashraf now

White board used for the group working schedule and priorities. Syria is circled s a crucial case for the group agenda

An example of MKO organizational structure:
Each Clothes rope is divided and named for individuals.

October 28, 2012 0 comments

MEK Camp Ashraf

100 more MEK moved out of Camp Ashraf

On Thursday morning, 11th October, just after midnight, one hundred MEK were taken from Camp Ashraf and transferred to Camp Liberty. The group comprised 92 men and 8 women.

On the afternoon of the previous day MEK combatants had launched an unprovoked attack on the families who are waiting outside the camp to find news of their loved ones. The MEK used catapults and slingshots to launch rocks and stones at the defenseless families, injuring some. Iraqi security forces intervened to protect them and pushed the MEK back inside the camp.

After the successful transfer of 100 more MEK to Camp Liberty, the Chief of Police of Diyala Province told reporters that tens of MEK still remain in Camp Ashraf and will be transferred as soon as is possible. He said that the people of Diyala Province want the MEK problem to be cleared up and the camp closed, emphasising that the MEK is a terrorist group and should be removed from the country.

Over the past few days many other Iraqi officials have spoken on this issue to emphasise that the Americans should take their favoured group out of the country. They stressed that Iraq cannot accept America’s terrorists to remain as guests indefinitely and be in a position to help the insurgency and interfere in the internal affairs of the country.

October 14, 2012 0 comments

Terrorist groups and the MEK

Syrian Terrorists Setting Up Camp for MKO at Syria-Lebanon Borders

The so-called Free Syrian Army, the main armed rebel group fighting President Bashar al-Assad’s government, is building a military base for the anti-Iran terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Syrian Terrorists Setting Up Camp for MKO at Syria-Lebanon Borders Organization (MKO, also known as the MEK, NCR and PMOI) in the bordering areas of Syria and Lebanon.

The announcement was made by Basam al-Dad, a spokesman of the terrorist Free Syrian Army. Al-Dad claimed that the group wants to enjoy the experiences and combat skills of the MKO in different battle fronts.

He said that construction of the base started after receiving a green light from the US, which has recently delisted the MKO from the list of terrorist groups.

A senior Iranian legislator earlier warned that Washington has removed the MKO from its list of terrorist organizations in a bid to use them again.

"When the US found out that the MKO is losing concentration, it embarked on removing the grouplet from the list of terrorist groups in a bid to use them again and pursue its (the US) own objectives," member of the parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Esmayeel Kosari told FNA on Sunday.

The lawmaker described the US as the main sponsor and supporter of terrorist groups.

The US State Department last Friday removed the MKO from its list of foreign terrorist organizations.

The decision made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton enabled the group to have its assets under US jurisdiction unfrozen and do business with American entities, the State Department said in a statement on Friday.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry last week condemned the US administration for striking the MKO (also known as MEK, NCR and PMOI) off the list of terrorist groups, saying the move displays Washington’s double standard policies.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry in a statement accused Washington of applying double standards in dealing with terrorism, reminding that the terrorist MKO is responsible for the deaths of thousands of Iranian civilians.

The delisting of MKO was "a violation of America’s legal and international obligations" that could threaten US interests. The decision "will bring US responsibility for past, present and future terrorist operations by this group," the statement said.

The MKO is blacklisted by much of the international community.

Many of the MKO members abandoned the terrorist organization while most of those still remaining in the camp are said to be willing to quit but are under pressure and torture not to do so.

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.

October 7, 2012 0 comments

USA

U.S. welcomes safe transfer of the remaining residents of Ashraf

Camp Ashraf

Press Statement
Victoria Nuland
Department Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC

Today, the seventh convoy of approximately 680 Camp Ashraf residents arrived safely at Camp Hurriya. This convoy represents the last major relocation of residents from former Camp Ashraf to Camp Hurriya and marks a significant milestone in efforts to achieve a sustainable humanitarian solution to this issue. Over the coming weeks, the small group temporarily remaining at former Camp Ashraf will address residual issues and then also move to Camp Hurriya.

The United States appreciates the efforts of the Government of Iraq to accommodate both security and humanitarian concerns throughout this process, including the peaceful and orderly closure of former Camp Ashraf and relocation of its residents to Camp Hurriya. We count on Iraq’s continued adherence to the December 25, 2011 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the United Nations that provides a path for the safe relocation of former Ashraf residents out of Iraq.

We welcome the cooperation by the former Ashraf residents in this relocation and look forward to their continued participation in the process set forth in the MOU. Additionally, we are grateful for the work of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, whose personnel have achieved much under challenging circumstances.

The United States will continue to support those efforts and, working with the United Nations and our partners in the international community, turn our attention to supporting the permanent relocation of the residents from Iraq.

September 18, 2012 0 comments

UN envoy welcomes last major transfer of Iranian exiles MEK

The United Nations envoy in Iraq on Sunday welcomed the last major relocation of Iranian exiles from a camp outside of the capital, Baghdad, and called for a renewed focus on resettling the UN envoy welcomes last major transfer of Iranian exiles MEK residents in third countries.

“This is an important step as we near the end of the relocation process. I would like to thank the residents for their cooperation,” said Martin Kobler, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative and head of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

“I would also like to thank the Government of Iraq for ensuring this last major relocation and paving the way for the peaceful closure of Camp Ashraf under the terms of the memorandum of understanding,” he added in a news release.

The issue of Camp Ashraf – located in eastern Iraq and made up of several thousand Iranian exiles, many of them members of a group known as the People’s Mojahedeen of Iran – has been one of the main issues dealt with by UNAMI for more than 18 months.

The last major relocation convoy, carrying 680 residents, has arrived in Camp Hurriya, where a process to determine refugee status is being carried out by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Of the 3,280 residents originally in Camp Ashraf, only a small group now remains on a temporary basis to arrange the details pursuant to the closure of the camp, according to UNAMI.

UN monitors will continue to oversee the process, including the relocation of remaining residents to Camp Hurriya.

Now that the majority of the residents have been transferred, Mr. Kobler called for a renewed focus on resettlement. “I urge the international community to speed up its efforts to accept residents in third countries,” he said.

September 18, 2012 0 comments

MEK Camp Ashraf

Last major group of Iran exiles relocates in Iraq

The last major group of Iranian exiles has relocated from their long-time base to a new site near Baghdad as part of a process that aims to see them resettled outside Iraq, the United Nations Last major group of Iran exiles relocates in Iraq said on Sunday.

"The Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq, Mr Martin Kobler, today welcomed the news that the last major relocation convoy of residents from Camp Ashraf… has arrived in Camp Hurriyah (Liberty)," a statement from the UN mission in Iraq said.

"In total, 680 residents moved in the convoy today. Of the 3,280 residents originally in Camp Ashraf, only a small group now remains on a temporary basis to arrange the details pursuant to the closure of the camp," it said.

Camp Ashraf is the base Saddam Hussein permitted the People’s Mujahedeen Organisation of Iran (PMOI), a group opposed to the regime in Tehran, to establish in Diyala province in the 1980s, during the eight-year war with Iran.

PMOI spokesman Shahriar Kia previously told AFP that around 200 PMOI members would remain in Camp Ashraf in an attempt to sell the group’s property there.

The exiles are moving from Ashraf to Liberty, a former US military base, as part of a December 25 deal between the United Nations and the Iraqi government that aims to see them relocated outside the country.

Kobler called in the statement for "the international community to speed up its efforts to accept residents in third countries."

The leftwing PMOI was founded in the 1960s to oppose the shah of Iran, but took up arms against the country’s new clerical rulers after the 1979 Islamic revolution. It said in 2001 that it had renounced violence, and Ashraf was disarmed following the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

The US State Department has blacklisted it as a terrorist organisation since 1997, and says PMOI members carried out a large number of attacks over several decades against Iranian targets, and also against Americans.

The United States has said that moving residents from Ashraf could facilitate the removal of the terrorist designation, as it has been in Europe.

September 18, 2012 0 comments

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