As we continue to debate — pass the buck on — the horrific massacres that are taking place in Syria, another massacre took place over the weekend right next door to Syria — almost barely acknowledged by our nation, by the world.
The Washington Post, however, does note that in an attack that started unexpectedly at 10 p.m. EDT last night (Saturday) and continued for many hours, more than four dozen members of an Iranian dissident group were killed (with their hands tied behind their backs, shot in the head — according to a witness) at Camp Ashraf, Iraq.
The Post says, “Residents of Camp Ashraf…blamed Iraqi security forces for what they described as a ‘massacre.’”
The Post reports:
Iraqi officials acknowledged the deaths but blamed it on infighting between the camp’s residents.
The Camp Ashraf resident described such claims as “lies.”
Saddam Hussein allowed the Iranian exiles, members of the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, to set up their paramilitary base at Camp Ashraf in the 1980s.
After Hussein was overthrown in a U.S. invasion in 2003, the U.S. military disarmed the Iranian dissidents, who had renounced violence in 2001.
More than 3,000 of the camp’s residents have since been relocated to a temporary location near Baghdad’s international airport under a deal brokered by the United Nations that seeks to eventually resettle the Iranians abroad.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki wants the Iranian dissidents out of Iraq, and the interviews are a necessary step to resettle them in other countries.
While 3,100 Iranians were relocated to Camp Liberty, 100 stayed on at Camp Ashraf to look after the exiles’ property.
And continues:
On Sunday, Iraqi special forces “killed them one by one” and set fire to buildings inside the camp, the source at Camp Ashraf said. He put the death toll at 47 and said 12 others are missing.
Shahin Gobadi, a Paris-based spokesman for the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, also known as the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, said 52 people had died.
PMOI on Sunday posted to YouTube a graphic video of the violence at Camp Ashraf.*
Ali al-Moussawi, a spokesman for Mr. al-Maliki, confirmed that some camp residents had been killed. He said a preliminary investigation suggested they died as a result of infighting among camp residents, and he denied that Iraqi forces were involved, according to The Associated Press.
The United Nations condemned the attack and called on the Iraqi government to investigate the incident and determine who was responsible….
Read more here.
In the meantime we hear similar, all-too-familiar words from our State Department. Words that now ring hollow, something like “Those found to be responsible must be held fully accountable.”
I know. We are not the world’s policeman. But, weren’t we just there — in Iraq — to “install democracy”?
Here is the full State Department statement:
The United States strongly condemns the terrible events that took place at Camp Ashraf today, which according to various reports resulted in the deaths of and injuries to numerous camp residents. Our condolences go out to the families of the victims and those who were injured in today’s violence.
We are deeply concerned about these reports and are in regular contact with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), as well as Government of Iraq officials. We support UNAMI’s efforts to conduct its own assessment of the situation and call on the Government of Iraq to fully support those efforts.
We further call on Iraqi authorities to act with urgency to immediately ensure medical assistance to the wounded and to secure the camp against any further violence or harm to the residents. We underscore the responsibility of the Government of Iraq and all relevant stakeholders to ensure the safety and security of residents at both Camp Ashraf and Camp Hurriyah, and we affirm the call by UNAMI for a full and independent investigation into this terrible and tragic event. Those found to be responsible must be held fully accountable.
* To see the video, one must disable the “safety mode,” whatever that is.
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.