An Iraqi military official has said that Iraqi forces have taken complete control of the camp…”After the failure of negotiations with the Mujahedeen (Khalq) to enter peacefully, the Iraqi army entered Camp Ashraf with force and it now controls the camp and all entrances to it,”an Iraqi military source said. An Iraqi police official has announced that about 50 camp residents have been detained.
In Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton described the raid as a legitimate act by a sovereign nation.”Although the U.S. government remains engaged and concerned about this issue, it is a matter for the government of Iraq to resolve in accordance with its laws,”she said..clashes continued for a second day Wednesday between Iraqi troops and members of an Iranian opposition group whose camp the Iraqis stormed Tuesday
The seizure of Camp Ashraf, which was disarmed by the United States in 2003 and surrounded by U. S. forces until recently, comes after months of a tense standoff at the base north of Baghdad..It also coincided with a visit to Iraq by U. S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates,..About 60 members of Iraq’s security forces were also wounded, 20 seriously, he said, adding that 50 camp residents were detained.
The Iraqi government has denied that any members of an anti-Iranian terrorist group were killed during a Tuesday raid on its base in northern Baghdad. Earlier reports said between four to eight residents had been killed when Iraqi security forces stormed Camp Ashraf – the base of the Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization (MKO).
US officials are reportedly “not happy” with the situation unfolding in the MEK’s Camp Ashraf, following yesterday’s raids by Iraqi forces. Today, the Iraqi government says that it plans to close the camp down entirely..Though the MEK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the US State Department, it has a complex relationship with the US. The Saddam-backed group has supplied the US with considerable information regarding Iran
“We continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure the residents of Camp Ashraf are treated in accordance with Iraq’s written assurances that it will treat the residents there humanely,”Kelly told reporters at his daily press briefing in Washington on Tuesday.”This is in accordance with the constitution, laws, and international obligations of Iraq,”he said.
Iraq flexes its muscles at Camp Ashraf and shows military independence from America, as the Iranian exile group’s long strange trip draws to a close..Camp Ashraf, the object of the raid, has been the principal home of the MKO since the Iranian group allied itself with Saddam Hussein in the 1980s, receiving weapons and training from his regime. Hussein used them as shock-troops against Iraqi Kurds and Shiites who rose up against his regime in the 1990s.
The prospect of a change in Iran’s government is viewed by many to be as unlikely as the MEK’s hope that Iraq will change its mind about shutting down a camp that has been a major irritant in Iranian-Iraqi relations.. The prospect of a change in Iran’s government is viewed by many to be as unlikely as the MEK’s[PMOI/MEK/MKO] hope that Iraq will change its mind about shutting down a camp that has been a major irritant in Iranian-Iraqi relations..
Head of Iraq’s Court of Appeal judge Munir Haddad said that Iraq’s people and government are resolved to expel the anti-Iran terrorist group, the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO/MEK/PMOI) from the country…Haddad further condemned the US support for terrorists in Iraq, and underlined that the MKO has played an active role in sowing discord and violating peace in the country..MKO has long sought to stir political feud between Iranian and Iraqi brothers, but its efforts have backfired and caused closer ties
This pull-out includes the 25 US soldiers based at Camp Ashraf for the protection of Massoud Rajavi. The MKO is staging a carnival-rally in Paris on June 20 as a last ditch attempt to force American support for the cult. It is unlikely that PM al-Maliki will change his position based on such a rally..Iraq PM says government would only request American logistical assistance after US pullout