News On Iran & Its NeighboursIraqIraqi leader denies holding 7 Iranian dissidents

Iraqi leader denies holding 7 Iranian dissidents

-

AP: Iraq denied Friday that it is holding seven missing members of an Iranian dissident group following a deadly attack on its compound north of Baghdad earlier this month. The group accuses Iraq of detaining the Camp Ashraf residents and of planning to transfer them to Iran against their will.
The Associated Press

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq denied Friday that it is holding seven missing members of an Iranian dissident group following a deadly attack on its compound north of Baghdad earlier this month.

The group accuses Iraq of detaining the Camp Ashraf residents and of planning to transfer them to Iran against their will.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki denied holding the seven on his official website. His statement also reiterated officials’ claims that Iraqi forces were not behind the Sept. 1 shooting at the camp that killed 52 Mujahedeen-e-Khalq members.

Iraq has pledged to investigate the killings. It is impatient with efforts to resettle more than 2,800 former camp residents abroad.

Group spokesman Shahriar Kia blasted al-Maliki’s statement as a “ridiculous claim” and charged that the government is blocking an investigation into the killings.

Meanwhile, 34 members of Congress urged U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to cut American assistance to Iraq if the government fails to facilitate the release of the seven individuals being held and improve security at Camp Liberty, where the rest of the group are living while they await resettlement overseas.

“The message does not seem to be getting through,” the lawmakers said in a letter Friday. “We must do a better job at holding the government of Iraq accountable.”

Members of the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq, which is strongly opposed to Iran’s clerical regime, were welcomed into Iraq by Saddam Hussein in the 1980s during the brutal war with neighboring Iran.

Their fortunes turned sharply with the Iraqi dictator’s toppling in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Iraq’s current Shiite-led Iraqi government, which has strengthened ties with Tehran, considers their presence in the country illegal.

Latest news

 Statistics show that New Year accidents’ deaths in Iran reached 585

Ahmad Shirani, the head of the Information and Traffic Control Center of the Iranian regime’s police, announced that the...

Land Subsidence in Critical Conditions in Isfahan

Mehdi Toghyani, a member of the Iranian regime’s Majlis (parliament), pointed to the occurrence of land subsidence in various...

Iran’s Actual Inflation Rate Higher Than Official Stats

The state-run Donya-e-eqtesad newspaper, in a report analyzing the "general sentiment" regarding inflation in 2023, has stated that households...

Iranian Workers’ Monthly $136 Wages Can’t Cover $500 Expenses

The lives of a significant portion of the Iranian population are marked by uncertainty, largely because the Iranian economy...

Iranian Nurses Earn Twice Their Wages in Ride-Hailing Services

Reza Aryanpour, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament) Health and Treatment Commission, highlighted the growing trend of nurses...

Iran: Unprecedented Record of 152 Million Liters of Gasoline Consumption Per Day

On March 19, Iran set a new historical record in gasoline consumption with 152 million liters consumed in one...

Must read

U.S., Europe target Iran investment, trade

Washington Post: The United States and its allies are...

Blast outside British Petroleum offices in Iran capital

Iran Focus: Tehran, Iran, Nov. 02 – A home-made...

You might also likeRELATED
Recommended to you