• Warning on Iraqi government’s ominous intention and the necessity for the UNHCR and US government to intervene immediately to return residents to Ashraf
NCRI – The Iraqi Prime Ministry committee in charge of suppression of residents of Camp Liberty is preventing implementation of c protective civil defense measures by Camp Liberty residents who face possible future attacks.
Camp Liberty houses thousands of members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in Iraq was target of a massive missile attack on February 9 that killed 7 residents and wounded 100 more. The residents did not have any protection against the attack despite warning by the residents.
1. Following repeated requests made by Camp Liberty residents and their representatives, on Tuesday, February 19th, Iraqi Prime Ministry representatives informed the residents they are not even permitted to transfer from Ashraf to Liberty, or purchase, simple items such as shovels, hacks and sand bags to build individual and preliminary shelters.
2. Iraqi Prime Ministry representatives also opposed the transfer of the residents’ helmets and protective vests from Ashraf. These civilian vests and helmets are used everywhere as civil defense gear. When US forces were responsible for the residents’ protection, these items were purchased by the residents and officially recognized as the residents’ civil defense gear.
3. Iraqi government officials also did not allow the residents to bring T-walls inside the camp. These T-walls were previously installed in Liberty for the protection of US forces against missile and mortar attacks. Following the transfer of residents to Liberty in February 2012, the Iraqi government in a very suspicious measure and in quite a hurry transferred the T-walls installed around the trailers to outside of the camp. The Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran issued statements on 24 April 2012 and 4 September 2012 protesting the removal of these T-walls, and called on the US government and United Nations to prevent this dangerous measure. According to assessments by military experts, if these T-walls had not been removed the number of residents killed and wounded in the February 9th missile attack would have been far less. UNAMI officials in yesterday’s trilateral meeting (Liberty residents, Iraqi government representatives and UNAMI) witnessed the Iraqi government preventing the preliminary protective measures, yet did not protest, as have the residents’ representatives’ referrals in the past 10 days to them in this regard been completely unanswered.
This is in continuation of the same criminal policy that has been implemented in the past year in preventing the structure of any facilities or safehavens in Liberty. A policy that clearly shows the direct responsibility of the Iraqi Government and its Prime Ministry in the February 9th massacre and any future harm that is brought to the residents of Liberty.
Coincidently, the Sawt al-Iraq News Agency wrote on 17 February 2013, that Iraqi elements in the Iraqi Parliament are preventing independent investigations from being carried out to recognize the elements and directors of the February 9th missile against Liberty.
The residents of Liberty are on one hand refugees whom the UNHCR has responsibility over their protection, and on the other hand that the US Government has made a commitment towards the protection of each and every one of them until their final determination.
The Iranian Resistance, while warning about the ominous intentions of the Iraqi Government, requests the swift intervention of the US and UNHCR to immediately return the residents to Ashraf, where they are relatively safe from missile and mortar attacks.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
February 20, 2013