Subsequent to a wave of international condemnations of threats by the Iranian regime and its Iraqi proxies against the lives and security of Camp Ashraf residents, the Diyala police announced that it has no intention of attacking the camp.
Camp Ashraf is home to 3,400 members of the main opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). It is situated in Diyala province in Iraq, north of Baghdad.
On Friday, AKA News reported, “The police commander of Diyala province, located 66 km north of Baghdad, denied intentions on the part of Iraqi security forces to attack Camp Ashraf.”
The police chief said, “Camp Ashraf is controlled by Iraqi forces who have come from Baghdad and operate on the orders of the federal government. … The Diyala police command is responsible for protecting the camp’s entrances.”
The news agency also quoted the police chief as saying, “There are no intentions of an armed attack against Camp Ashraf.”
AKA News added, “3,500 are under the severe control of the Iraqi army after US forces transferred the camp’s protection in early 2009. The Iraqi government has announced a deadline for the departure of the residents from Iraq, but the decision has not been implemented due to the sensitivity of the issue.”
A PMOI spokesman said, “In view of the increasing plots by the Iranian regime and its proxies in Iraq, and to counter their persistent threats, Ashraf’s security will only be obtained when the Iraqi government acknowledges the legal status of the residents as protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention.”
“The government should also lift the inhumane siege that has continued over the past year and a half and is becoming more restrictive day by day,” the PMOI spokesman added. Baghdad “should remove the Iranian regime’s intelligence and terrorist Qods Force agents who have camped in front of Ashraf’s main gate with the full backing of Iraqi forces and the committee in charge of suppressing Ashraf at the Prime Minister’s Office.”
The PMOI spokesman added, “In the past, too, Iraqi officials denied plans for any type of Attack. But, in practice we witnessed shameful acts that contradicted these statements. That is why we must emphasize the US and UN responsibility for the protection of Ashraf. The clerical regime’s influence over Iraq’s security organs and its exploitation of the Iraqi judiciary is an undeniable fact that has been criticized by the country’s patriotic forces.”