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Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen urges Kerry to act on Camp Liberty

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NCRI – U.S. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa, has written to U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry urging protection for thousands of members of the main Iranian opposition group People’s Mojahedin (PMOI or MEK) in Camp Liberty, Iraq. The camp came under a terrorist rocket attack on October 29 by agents of the Iranian regime which left at least 24 residents killed and dozens more injured.

Text of letter by Rep. Ros-Lehtinen to Secretary of State Kerry:

 

November 5, 2015

The Honorable John Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20520

Dear Secretary Kerry:

I write to condemn the most recent deadly terror attack against Camp Liberty and to urge the Department of State to call for an immediate and thorough investigation into the attack, which was allegedly carried out with Iranian-made Katyusha rockets. In the wake of such a deadly terror attack, it is also important that an emergency medical team be sent to treat and evacuate the wounded immediately. In addition, I urge you to press the Government of Iraq to live up to all of its obligations under the December 25, 2011 Memorandum of Understanding and to properly secure Camp Liberty and ensure the safety of its residents.

As you are aware, the attack on October 29, 2015 has left nearly two dozen dead and over 200 more injured. Sadly, this attack is just the latest in a series of attacks targeted against the residents, yet still the Iraqi government fails to honor its obligations to protect these individuals and bring the perpetrators of these acts of terror to justice. Given the frequency of attacks in recent years, I would also ask that you suggest the Iraqi government reassess the protective forces it has provided to the Camp, as they have thus far been unable to prevent the attacks from occurring.

Active engagement with the Iraqi government regarding the safety of these individuals is no longer enough. The administration has been actively engaged for years, yet this has not spurred the Iraqi government into action. Therefore, I again urge you to intervene on behalf of the residents of Camp Liberty, and urge the Government of Iraq to honor its obligations, secure the safety of these individuals, and bring the perpetrators of these heinous attacks to justice immediately.

Thank you and I look forward to your prompt attention to this pressing matter.

ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN
Member of Congress

Cc: Ambassador Stuart E. Jones, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq
Jonathan Winer, Senior Advisor, Mujahedin-e Khalq Resettlement

Source: https://ros-lehtinen.house.gov/sites/ros-lehtinen.house.gov/files/RosLehtinenLetterRegardingCampLiberty.pdf