Residents gather at the site of a car bomb attack in the Hurriya district in Baghdad, January 10, 2013.
U.S., international community, condemn recent terrorist attack at Camp Hurriya in Iraq.
The United States and other members of the international community have condemned the terrorist attack that recently took place at Camp Hurriya in Iraq. Camp Hurriya houses members of the People’s Mujahadeen Organization of Iran, or PMOI, also known as the Mujahadeen-e Khalq, or MEK.
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Terrorist Attack On Camp Hurriya
The MEK is an Iranian group opposed to Iran’s clerical regime. Its members were supported by the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, who established them at Camp Ashraf in Diyala province, Iraq. Last year approximately three thousand residents of Camp Ashraf moved to Camp Hurriya, in anticipation of their relocation out of Iraq.
On February 9th, 2013, Camp Hurriya came under a rocket attack that killed at least six people and injured dozens more. The Government of Iraq condemned the attack and has begun an investigation to find the perpetrators and to bring them to justice. The Government of Iraq has also committed to do whatever is necessary to ensure the safety of the camp and its inhabitants.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon “strongly condemned” the attack. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres called it “a despicable act of violence” and noted that the residents of Camp Hurriya are asylum seekers undergoing the refugee status determination process.”
State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said in a statement that the “United States condemns in the strongest terms the vicious and senseless terorrist attack that took place. . .at Camp Hurriya. . .We offer condolences to the families of the victims and hope for the swift recovery of those who were injured.”
The U.S. is consulting with the Government of Iraq and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, UNAMI, on the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. Ms. Nuland said the U.S. is committed to assisting the Government of Iraq and UNAMI in their efforts to implement the December 25, 2011 agreement which prepared the way for the relocation of MEK members to Camp Hurriya as a necessary step toward their resettlement to third countries, and which committed the Government of Iraq to provide for the security of Camp Hurriya’s residents.
