Iraqi Forces of
Iraq's al-Maliki
Continue Bloodshed in
Defenseless Camp Ashraf, April 8,
2011
OOn Friday, April 8, 2011, 4:45 AM local time, the Iraqi forces equipped with tanks, armored personnel carriers, heavy machine guns, and other deadly weapons launch a deadly attack on defenseless Camp Ashraf at the behest of
Iran's criminal leaders
Khamenei and
Ahmadinejad. Camp Ashraf is home to 3,400 members of Iran's principal opposition, the
People's Mojahedin
Organization of Iran (
PMOI/
MEK). They are "protected persons" under
Geneva Convention and US is legally and morally responsible for their safety and security.
Number of killed and wounded is growing by the minute.
OTTAWA --
Canadian advocates are pleading for help after the
Iraqi military raided a camp of
Iranian minority dissidents, Friday.
Family members of those living at Camp Ashraf, near the Iranian border, say 31 people are dead, and
300 are badly wounded.
"I don't know if my brother is alive or dead." said
Sara Hassani, a 20-year-old Canadian woman. "I can't reach him. He is a
Canadian citizen, but he can't abandon all of those people, they need help, they need medical aid and protection."
The Iraqi military disputes the numbers, saying three people were killed after they hurled stones at military Humvees and tanks.
The Iranian government in
Tehran labels the displaced people as terrorists.
Former MP
David Kilgour is urging the
United States to move its soldiers back to the camp area.
"They don't have to fight, they just have to be there. If they are at Camp Ashraf, nothing is going to happen. The reason this thing has happened today is because the UN has pulled out and the
U.S. has moved back from the camp," Kilgour said.
Liberal Foreign Affairs critic
Bob Rae called for a UN investigation.
"This has been a long standing issue, the
Iraqi government has to live up to its responsibilities to protect human life in its jurisdiction," Rae said.
Immigration and
Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney said while details are slow to come,
Canada is looking into the issue.
"
We are very concerned about any loss of life and violence against these people," he said.
News Canada
Iranian group pleads for help as Iraq raids camp
By
Kris Sims Parliamentary Bureau
Last Updated: April 8, 2011 8:38pm
Investigate deadly violence at Camp Ashraf
8
April 2011
The Iraqi authorities must immediately launch an independent investigation into reports that
Iraqi troops killed and injured residents of a camp for Iranian exiles north of
Baghdad in an unprovoked attack,
Amnesty International said today.
"Iraqi troops moved into the camp this morning and used excessive force against residents who tried to resist them, according to the information we have received," said
Malcolm Smart,
Director of Amnesty International's
Middle East and North Africa Programme.
"This is the latest of a series of violent actions that the Iraqi government has taken against the Camp Ashraf residents, whose continuing presence in Iraq they oppose."
Clashes broke out this morning after
Iraqi security forces took up positions in the camp using armoured personnel carriers and, apparently, live fire against residents who tried to resist them, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries. As yet, the number of casualties cannot be independently verified.
The camp in
Diyala province around 60 km north of Baghdad is home to some 3,400 Iranian exiles and refugees, including members and supporters of the banned Iranian opposition group the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI).
PMOI officials told Amnesty International that due to restrictions imposed by the Iraqi government, Camp Ashraf's medical facility does not have adequate medicines or equipment with which to deal with those reported by the PMOI to have been injured in today's clashes.
"If true, this is very worrying," said Malcolm Smart. "
Whether they like it or not, the Iraqi authorities are responsible for the security and well-being of Camp Ashraf's residents and this includes providing access to adequate and immediate medical treatment when needed."
Video clips of the clashes that the PMOI has uploaded to YouTube appear to show
Iraqi soldiers firing indiscriminately into the crowds and using vehicles to try and run others down.
An Iraqi government spokesman said Camp Ashraf residents threw rocks at security forces in what he termed a "riot."
Troops did not open fire, he said, but force was used to push residents back inside the camp.
Since the US ceded control of Camp Ashraf to Iraqi security forces in mid-2009, the PMOI has told Amnesty International that the constant military presence has made it difficult to access medical treatment inside and outside the camp.
- published: 09 Apr 2011
- views: 3792