In the Former Cradle of Iraq's Insurgency, a U.S. Military Base Prepares to Close

Regarding the reference made to the PMOI “Before the U.S. invasion, the site of the military camp was once home to Mujaheddin-e-Khalq, a military group armed with tanks and artillery that Saddam Hussein used for years to keep order in Fallujah…”

1. This site was not a military site; rather it was the logistical base of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) and was named ‘Bagherzadeh-1’ and ‘Bagherzadeh-2’ (including a female hospital) and was used for services.(enclosure no. 1)

The PMOI never interfered in Iraq’s internal affairs whatsoever; neither in Fallujah, nor any other place. These allegations are fabricated by the Iranian regime used to justify its terrorist attacks against the PMOI.

2. Following the war in 2003, the Iranian regime changed the course of its falsifications against the PMOI. This time, instead of accusations such as cooperation with Saddam Hussein in killing the people of Fallujah, the regime raised the issue of PMOI’s cooperation with U.S. military forces. Under a false title “presence of mercenaries of Monafeqin [meaning hypocrites, mullahs’ pejorative term for the Mojahedin] side by side U.S. marines in attacks on Fallujah” regime’s media wrote: “More than 200 commandos supported by Israeli war pilots as well as at least 50 mercenaries of the Monafeqin accompany the U.S. army in attacks against Fallujah”. (Fars, Iran’s state- run news agency)

3. This site (like other sites of the PMOI) was constructed totally by the PMOI and at its expense between 1996 and 1998; all documents in this regard are available. (some documents are enclosed as example).

4. Prior to the War 2003, PMOI’s military sites were located in eastern and southeastern areas in Iraq and close to Iran’s border; the locations of all of them were announced and registered by the media. They were visited by foreign reporters and political and human rights personalities time and again; they also enjoyed full independence as a foreign territory (similar to foreign embassies).

5. In January 2006, more than 12,000 Iraqi jurists, in light of their investigation about 20 years of the PMOI’s presence in Iraq, declared their readiness to defend the rights of the PMOI in any court and testified that “The PMOI has maintained a humanitarian and helpful relationship with the Iraqi people. Their calm, co-existence and friendly relationship with the Iraqi people has continued during the past three years. …The PMOI has never interfered in Iraq's internal affairs and such claims are sheer lies fabricated by the Iranian regime to ruin the image of its opposition and alternative”. (New York Times, January 2006)

Also, 5.2 million of Iraqi people with a high percentage of Al-Anbar province and Fallujah, in a declaration, expressed their support for the PMOI and announced: "The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran came to Iraq in 1986 with the aim of establishing democracy in their homeland, Iran. They have had absolutely no role in the internal affairs of Iraq and no one among the people of Iraq, including Sunnis, Shiites, Arabs, Kurds, etc. have ever experienced anything except decency and compassion from them. The solidarity of various social strata of the people of Iraq with this organization best attests to this truth." (The Washington Times 22 June 2006)

6. In June 2008, three million of Iraqi Shiites expressed their abhorrence of the Iranian regime’s meddling in Iraq which was reported by international media. .(enclosure no. 2)

7. Restating the allegations of the mullahs’ terrorist regime against its democratic opposition emboldens the Iranian regime to conduct its terrorist activities against the PMOI, and also undermines the credibility of your reputable website. Therefore, we request you to publish this response and omit the relevant paragraph from your report to preserve your journalistic credibility.

Best regards,

Shahriar Kia

PMOI – Ashraf

Iraq

of 11:31AM November 26, 2008