Yesterday’s attack on the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MeK) base at Camp Liberty, a strike which killed 26 people, has been claimed by the al-Mukhtar Army, a Shi’ite militia active in the ongoing war against ISIS. The group says they’d warned the MeK to leave Iraq as soon as possible, and promised more attacks if they don’t.
The Camp Liberty base has been wildly controversial in Iraq, as the MeK, primarily an Iranian opposition faction, was an ally of the Saddam Hussein government ousted in the 2003 US invasion. At the time, the MeK was still listed as a terrorist organization in the US, but the group was left in the camp irrespective of this, pending some eventual resettlement that never came.
The MeK’s status as a Saddam ally, and it’s continued hostility toward the Iranian government, a close ally of the current Iraqi government, has made it a common target for Shi’ite factions in the country, and militias like the al-Mukhtar Army are given increasingly free reign with the growing ISIS war.
Though the militia was quite clear about having carried out the attack themselves, the MeK issued a statement blaming the Iranian government for the attack. The US issued a statement condemning the attack and vowed to support the relocation of the MeK to some other place.
This group is like our support of al Qaeda, or on a smaller scale but still without any moral cover our protection of the Cuban airplane bomber who killed a high school sports team in the air.
It will be funny to see the reaction of the neocons over this I wonder if Krauthammer will call for the bombing of Baghdad for this offense against an ally most beloved by Israel?
"The US issued a statement condemning the attack and vowed to support the relocation of the MeK to some other place."
Perhaps the United States can relocate them to its territory. I'm sure there is some old army base in Nevada that would be suitable – perhaps Yucca Flats.
Slowly but surely, the war spreads accross the whole Middle East.
Slowly but surely the stupid spreads through your brain.
Do you know who are MEK? MEK is under protection of US/Israel and a terrorist group where neocons love their services. Unfortunately, the main 'leaders' of MEK have not been among dead, since they live a rich life in Paris or other European and American cities maintained by Western and Saudis financial give away. Some of the poor and brainwashed are dead. Shame on those countries who support terrorism for geopolitical gains in the region
The MeK is less then 200 people, half are women and they have not been violent in years. So, give them some land to farm and forget the exile unless they get violent. All that oil wealth in Iraq, is that why to kill is their first and only option?