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Mujahedin Khalq Organization as a terrorist group

US-Backed Terrorists Seeking to Undermine Iran-Iraq Ties

An Iraqi political analyst said on Sunday that US-affiliated groups and terrorists are seeking to stir tension in relations between Tehran and Baghdad. US-Backed Terrorists Seeking to Undermine Iran-Iraq Ties

"The recent explosions are aimed at stirring tension and portraying Iraq as an insecure country through operations by terrorists and US-affiliated agents," professor of Baghdad University Hazem Shemri told FNA, commenting on recent terrorist attacks on Iranian pilgrims in Iraq.

He underlined success of the Iraqi security forces in restoring securing in the country, and added, "The occupiers’ interest is in keeping Iraq in a security crisis and their support for the al-Qaeda agents and the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) is aimed at striking Iraq’s security and progress."

Twenty Iranian pilgrims were among at least 58 people killed when two women suicide bombers attacked a Shiite shrine in Baghdad on Friday. Some 80 Iranians were among the 125 people wounded.

Another 52 Iranian pilgrims were among at least 56 people killed in a suicide attack on a roadside restaurant in Muqdadiyah, northeast of Baghdad, the previous day.

Elsewhere, Shermi reminded Iran’s significant role in stability and security of the region, and added, "Concerns of the US and its allies about Iran’s role have caused them to resort to different ways to stir tension in Tehran-Baghdad relations."

Thai News Service, April 27, 2009

And:

MP says USA behind attacks on Iranian pilgrims in Iraq

Text of Majid Mo’afi’s report by Iranian newspaper Qods website on 26 April headlined "The deputy head of the Majlis National Security Committee in an interview with Quds: Americans must be held accountable for security tension in Iraq"

The final days of last week were bloody days for Iranian pilgrims at holy sites. In two separate terrorist attacks against Iranian pilgrims in [Iraq’s] Dialeh Province and at the holy sites of Imam Musa Kazem and Imam Javad (peace be upon them) a great number of our citizens were martyred and injured. There is various speculations about these attacks, however, the deputy head of the Majlis National Security Committee believes that these attacks were orchestrated by America and the Zionists in retaliation for their defeat in the Durban-2 summit [UN anti-racism conference] in Geneva.

In an interview with our correspondent Mohammad Esma’il Kowsari added: "These bombings are plots of America and the Zionists following Mr. [Iranian President Mahmud] Ahmadinezhad’s presence in Geneva and his speech about racism which had extensive coverage in the world media." He continued: "Mr. Ahmadinezhad’s revelations against Zionism and racism in the Durban-2 summit in Geneva were a blatant defeat for the Zionist officials, America and the countries which either did not take part in this summit or decided to leave the session during Mr Ahmadinezhad’s speech."

This MP from Tehran believes that Wahhabi elements, Al-Qa’idah elements and Monafeqin terrorists [Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization, Iranian opposition group in Iraq] who receive their orders directly from America and the Zionists were behind these attacks. The MP maintains that when confronted with Iran’s solid logic and rationalization, America and the Zionists cannot do anything else but kill innocent people.

Kowsari referred to the presence of the American troops in Iraq and their claim to maintain security in this country and said: "Undoubtedly, Americans are to blame first for these events; although reportedly, Iraq’s security has been handed over to the Iraqi forces, in reality American forces have the last say with regard security in this country. Therefore American forces were responsible for these terrorist attacks." He believes that the occupiers of Iraq must leave this country as soon as possible so that Iraqis can look after security in this country. The deputy head of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee maintained that as American troops are not prepared to accept responsibility for the terrorist attacks and Iraqis do not have full responsibility over security in their country; the best thing that we can do to avoid such terrorist events is to stop sending Iranian pilgrims to this country until full security is established in Iraq.

BBC Monitoring Caucasus, April 27, 2009

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Iraq

Iraq to Extradite Mojahedin Khalq Terrorists

Iraq to Extradite Mojahedin Khalq Terrorists to Iran

European Council to reward them for terrorism against Iran (and Iraq)While Iraq plans to extradite heads of Rajavi cult who have "Iranian blood on their hands", European council is to announce today if they are terrorist no more!!
… While Iraq plans to extradite heads of Rajavi cult who have "Iranian blood on their hands", European council is to announce today if they are terrorist no more!! read related news and analysis …
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Iraq plans to extradite members of an anti-Iran terrorist group who have "Iranian blood on their hands," Iraq’s national security adviser said Friday during a visit to Tehran.
"Among the members of this group, some have the blood of Iraqi innocents on their hands (and) we will hand them over to Iraqi justice, and some who have Iranian blood on their hands we can hand over to Iran," said Muwafaq al-Rubaie.
He was referring to the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO).
"Over 3,000 inhabitants of Camp Ashraf have to leave Iraq and the camp will be part of history within two months," Rubaie reiterated in a joint news conference with Saeed Jalili, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
"The only choices open to members of this group are to return to Iran or to choose another country," Rubaie said.
"We are acting under international humanitarian regulations and international laws. These people will themselves choose where they want go."
"Iran’s security cannot be threatened by any factor inside Iraq. Iran’s security is our own security," the Iraqi official underlined.
His words were translated from Arabic into Farsi by an official Iranian interpreter.
Rubaie said that 914 MKO members had a "passport or residence of a third country" and could leave Iraq for these countries.
"Some 914 of them have dual nationalities and others who want to return to Iran will be allowed to do so," Rubaie said, adding he would discuss the issue with officials from 12 countries to see if they would accept MKO members.
"They will leave Iraq in a non-forcible way," he said. "Terrorist groups have no place in Iraq."
The Iraqi government announced on December 21 it planned to close the Ashraf camp north of Baghdad and close to the Iranian border, where around 3,500 MKO members are held.
On January 1, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said he would expel the MKO from the country.
The MKO was created in 1965 with the aim of overturning the regime of the Shah of Iran, but now is seeking the overthrow of Iran’s current government.
It was supported by Iraq’s late dictator Saddam Hussein, and it had carried out deadly raids on Iran from Iraq.
Despite being listed as a terrorist group by the United States and the European Union, the MKO receives wide support from Washington and London.
The European Court of Justice last month overturned an EU order freezing its funds.
Group members fought alongside Iraqi forces in the 1980-1988 war between Iraq and Iran and then settled in Iraq.
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 camp 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 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

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Canada

Canada Decides to Keep MKO in Black List

The Iranian government Monday hailed a November decision by Canada to maintain the anti-Iran Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization on its list of terrorist organizations.

Peter Van Loan, the Canadian public safety minister, said Ottawa in its final review of terrorist activity decided to keep the dissident MKO blacklisted, based on its past activities.

The European Court of First Instance last week, however, alleged that the European Union had "violated the rights of defense" of the MKO, adding Europe had not provided sufficient grounds to include the group on its list of terrorist entities.

The Canadian government last reviewed its list of terrorist organizations Nov. 20, before the European decision, according to the Web site for the Canadian Ministry of Public Safety.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hassan Qashqavi said the MKO had changed its tactics against Iran, slamming the court decision.

"Nothing has changed about the terrorist nature of the terrorist group. They are still following the same individuals, ideology and manifest," he said.

Ottawa reviews its list of terrorist organizations every two years.

The MKO, whose main stronghold is in Iraq, is blacklisted by much of the international community, including the United States.

The MKO is on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations subject to an EU-wide assets freeze, and has been designated by the US government as a foreign terrorist organization. Yet, the MKO puppet leader, Maryam Rajavi, who has residency in France, regularly visits Brussels and despite the ban enjoys 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).

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

According to 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.

Leaders of the group have been fighting to shed its terrorist tag after a series of bloody anti-Western attacks in the 1970s, and nearly 30 years of violent struggle against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

In recent months, high-ranking MKO members have been lobbying governments around the world in the hope of acknowledgement as a legitimate opposition group.

The UK initiative, however, has prompted the European Union to establish relations with the exiled organization now based in Paris. The European Court of First Instance threw its weight behind the MKO in December and annulled its previous decision to freeze its funds.

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.

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 also argue for the MKO to be taken off the US terror list.

The MKO has been in Iraq’s Diyala province since the 1980s.

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Iran

US shelterin MEK Terrorist group in Iraq regrettable

Section: General News – Iran strongly condemned the United States for double standards in its treatment of terrorist groups such as the MKO.

"The Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) is blacklisted as a terrorist organization by many countries. The US State Department has also identified the group as a foreign terrorist organization," Iran’s mission to the UN said in a letter to The Chicago Tribune published on Tuesday.

The letter added, "It is regrettable, and certainly a sign of outright double standards, that the US shelters this terrorist group. US media give its spokespeople free space to disseminate their political propaganda."

The MKO launched terrorist operations against Iran following the Islamic Revolution of 1979 and during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88). The group is also known to have cooperated with Iraq’s US-backed former dictator Saddam Hossein in suppressing the 1991 uprisings in southern Iraq and the massacre of Iraqi Kurds.

The terrorist organization has claimed responsibility for numerous terror attacks against Iranian officials and civilians.

In October, Seyed Mohammad Javad Hasheminejad, head of the Iranian based human rights group, Habilian Association, accused US military forces in Iraq of colluding with the MKO to "address the interests of America".

"The US has entered into a contract with the MKO, declaring this terrorist organization as being protected by the international law," he said, adding that such double standards have led to the protection of terrorists by America in the past five years.

Whilst ostensibly keeping the MKO on its terror list, the US recently granted citizenship to 16 leading members of the group and according to a senior Iraqi lawmaker, the US is studying the records of certain MKO members to select those who may help American forces pursue their anti-Iran goals.

Tuesday’s letter to The Chicago Tribune stated, "It is imperative that the next US administration recognizes the true nature of individuals and groups that purport to speak for democracy and yet have a discredited record of violence, suppression of internal dissent and dangerous, totalitarian ideology."

A change in the US attitude toward such groups would be ‘a positive step’ forward in the fight against global terrorism, added the letter, concluding, "These groups lack the slightest legitimacy in the eyes of the Iranian people because of their common cause with the enemies of Iran."

The MKO, whose main stronghold is in Iraq, is blacklisted by much of the international community, including the United States.

The MKO is on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations subject to an EU-wide assets freeze, and has been designated by the US government as a foreign terrorist organization. Yet, the MKO puppet leader, Maryam Rajavi, who has residency in France, regularly visits Brussels and despite the ban enjoys 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).

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

According to 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.

Leaders of the group have been fighting to shed its terrorist tag after a series of bloody anti-Western attacks in the 1970s, and nearly 30 years of violent struggle against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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.

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 also argue for the MKO to be taken off the US terror list.

The MKO has been in Iraq’s Diyala province since the 1980s. – FNA

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Iran

Hatred towards the Mojahedin Terrorists

Hatred towards the Mojahedin Terrorists is an indication of close ties between the people of Iran and Iraq

In a meeting with a number of Iraqi cultural figures as well as academicians in Tehran on Monday, Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani said, "From the start of the US and other occupiers’ invasion of Iraq, we described the military campaign as a ‘quandary.’ Now, years after the assault, the occupiers are in reality mired in Iraq’s quagmire."

"Colonial acceptance has no place in Muslim states particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan and if the occupiers seek to linger in these two countries under any pretext, they should satisfy public demands," he added.

According to Press TV, the Chairman of Iran’s Expediency Council meanwhile termed the Iraqi nation as prudent and resistant, adding that the high turnout of Iraqis at the parliamentary elections was a true representative of their commitment to Islamic values.

He noted that Tehran calls for Iraq’s perseverance of territorial integrity as well as the establishment of stability and tranquility in the war-torn country.

Hashemi Rafsanjani meanwhile called on Iraqi scholars and academician to seal a bright future for their country through teaching and training Iraqi students.

The Ayatollah also referred to the Iranian and Iraqi nations’ hatred towards the terrorist Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) as an indication of close ties and feelings between the officials and people of the two countries.

The MKO, whose main stronghold is in Iraq, is blacklisted by much of the international community, including the United States.

The MKO is on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations subject to an EU-wide assets freeze, and has been designated by the US government as a foreign terrorist organization. Yet, the MKO puppet leader, Maryam Rajavi, who has residency in France, regularly visits Brussels and despite the ban enjoys 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).

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

According to 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.

Leaders of the group have been fighting to shed its terrorist tag after a series of bloody anti-Western attacks in the 1970s, and nearly 30 years of violent struggle against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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 was 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 also argue for the MKO to be taken off the US terror list.

The MKO has been in Iraq’s Diyala province since the 1980s. – FNA

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Iraq

Iraq Takes over Province from US

Section: General News – Iraq on Wednesday took over from US forces control of the central Shiite province of Wasit. Wasit became the 13th of Iraq’s 18 provinces to be handed over by US-led forces to Baghdad. The swift transfer of some provinces has been facilitated by fall in violence across the country, which observers believe is a result of the transfer of security to the Iraqi government.

"We received today the security responsibility of Wasit province," national security adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie said at a ceremony held at a football stadium in the provincial capital of Kut, south of Baghdad. He said Wasit had achieved a level of efficiency and ability in civil and security affairs.

The transfer comes within a week of nearby Babil province being returned to the Iraqis. With it, US forces will now retreat to their bases and participate in security operations only at the request of the provincial governor.

Rubaie also announced that "within weeks" Baghdad would take control of the northern oil-rich but ethnically volatile region of Kirkuk and of Salaheddin, the Sunni home province of executed dictator Saddam Hussein.

The US military also remains in control of Baghdad, Nineveh and Diyala. The Diyala province has been home to the anti-Iran terrorist group, the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) since the 1980s.

The MKO is blacklisted by much of the international community, including the United States.

The MKO is on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations subject to an EU-wide assets freeze, and has been designated by the US government as a foreign terrorist organization. Yet, the MKO puppet leader, Maryam Rajavi, who has residency in France, regularly visits Brussels and despite the ban enjoys 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).

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

According to 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.

Leaders of the group have been fighting to shed its terrorist tag after a series of bloody anti-Western attacks in the 1970s, and nearly 30 years of violent struggle against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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.

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 also argue for the MKO to be taken off the US terror list.

Thai News Service, October 30, 2008

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Mujahedin Khalq; A proxy force

US Army Transfers Top PMOI Terrorists

United States/Iraq: US Army Transfers Top MKO Terrorists

The US military has transferred the senior members of terrorist Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) from Ashraf camp north of the Iraqi capital as it handed over the camp to Iraqi forces, an Iraqi Foreign Ministry source said.

The Iraqi army replaced American troops in taking control of Ashraf camp a few days ago.

Nearly 4,000 members of the MKO terrorist network fled to Iraq in the 1980s and settled at Ashraf camp, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Baghdad, which the group now uses as its headquarters.

The source at the Iraqi foreign ministry said the US military officials have moved the key members of the terrorist group from Ashraf Camp to prevent Iraqi government to have access to them.

"Current members of MKO inhabiting the camp are remorseful and not effective for the US military", the source added.

Iran’s Ambassador to Baghdad, Hassan Kazemi Qomi referred to the six month deadline to expel terrorist members of MKO from Iraq, and said, "During the past two years, many members of the terrorist organization have abandoned the group. They have also expressed regret for their past actions."

"Iran has pardoned a number of these people, allowing them to return to the country and their families," he said.

The future of the MKO in Iraq is uncertain and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has said he is looking for ways to end their presence.

Earlier, the Iraqi government and parliament announced that they are seeking a rapid final solution to remove the remaining members of the MKO from Iraq and to shut down Camp Ashraf.

Iraqi officials say the group is playing a significant role in violence and insecurity in the country.

The MKO is blacklisted by much of the international community, including the United States.

The MKO is on the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations subject to an EU-wide assets freeze, and has been designated by the US government as a foreign terrorist organization.

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 Iran-Iraq war.

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

According to 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.

Leaders of the group have been fighting to shed its terrorist tag after a series of bloody anti-Western attacks in the 1970s, and nearly 30 years of violent struggle against the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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.

Along with at least six other sites in Iraq, Camp Ashraf was given to the MKO as their headquarters and training site by the former Iraqi dictator.

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 also argue for the MKO to be taken off the US terror list.

The MKO has been in Iraq’s Diyala province since the 1980s. – FNA

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