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.
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
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.
Richard Armitage, US former deputy Secretary of State in an interview with PBS TV Channel, criticizing the dual policies of US with regard to the Issue of terrorism said:” During US invasion to Iraq, there were some in the administration, who wanted to use the Mujahideen-e Khalq as a pressure tool against Iran, and I can remember the national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, being very specific about it, saying no, a terrorist group is a terrorist group
That fighting against one’s own countrymen in a war that killed hundreds of thousands of people might undermine the MEK’s credibility within Iran is not something ..The sight of [MEK] forces aiding the Iraqi war effort turned them into perennial traitors in the eyes of most Iranians. This perception of the [MEK] still persists, more than 15 year after the ending of the war..
… The decision of the court of Ponta Delgada recognizes that Casaca felt enxovalhado, killed and humiliated by the news. The Express newspaper said in its title:”Mr. Portuguese friend of terrorists”,”Casaca hired as his assistant a member of the political wing of the Mojahedin. According to the Judge the title is purely metaphorical, appealing, with some sensational nature, but it is not defamatory or libelous …
The MEK or MKO is a Marxist organisation with a long history of attempts to overthrow various Iranian governments. They helped Saddam Hussein in the war against Iraq. After the US invasion they were disarmed and confined to camps in Iraq. They are on a US list of terrorist organisations even though Europe recently delisted them. .The CIA provides material support to the actions of the MEK inside Iran. The recent spate of explosions in Iran … appears to be linked to an MEK operation.In a July 29 article,wrote Ritter.
I have no knowledge of intimidation in the manner that the noble Lord suggests..My Lords, the answer is already in the noble Lord’s question. Iraq is a democratic and independent sovereign state. The United Kingdom, and even the United States, which handed over control of the camp from 1 January, have to recognise that fact. However, that does not prevent us making representations, hence my invitation for any evidence.
The U.S. State Department notes that the MEK”advocates the violent overthrow of the Iranian regime and was responsible for the assassination of several U.S. military personnel and civilians in the 1970′s,”and that the group maintains”the capacity and will to commit terrorist acts in Europe, the Middle East, the United States, Canada, and beyond.”
He added that “Our intelligence confirms the presence of very small groups, few in number, including elements of the Mojahedin organization(MKO/MEK/PMOI) in opposition to the regime, which infiltrated demonstrations in protest against the results of the presidential election, which escalated the protests and demonstrations into riots”.. we have enhanced our intelligence level of preparedness and readiness on the border with Iran, ..