Iran exiles move out of Iraq camp
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 12 September 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Iran exiles move out of Iraq camp, 12 September 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/525e3f618.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
September 12, 2013
MKO members have been moved to Camp Hurriya, a former U.S. military base near Baghdad's international airport.
More than 40 remaining members of an Iranian dissident group at a camp inside Iraq have left following a disputed outbreak of violence there earlier this month.
Some 50 members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO) were reported killed during a shooting at Camp Ashraf in Iraq's Diyala Province on September 1.
The group blames Iraqi security forces for the killings. Iraqi officials deny involvement and say an internal dispute is to blame.
Reports say 42 MKO members have now been relocated to Camp Hurriya near Baghdad airport in a move welcomed by the U.S. State Department.
Many MKO members left Camp Ashraf and relocated to Camp Hurriya last year.
The MKO opposes the clerical regime in Iran and was granted sanctuary inside Iraq by Saddam Hussein.
The MKO carried out a series of bombings and assassinations inside Iran in the 1980s and fought alongside Iraqi forces in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War.
Since Saddam's 2003 ouster, the group's fortunes in Iraq have worsened.
The current Shi'ite-led government in Iraq has been strengthening ties with Iran and considers the MKO's presence inside Iraq to be illegal.
Based on reporting by AP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
