U.S. Bombed Iran Militant Bases Inside Iraq-Report

U.S. Bombed Iran Militant Bases Inside Iraq-Report

Reuters
April 16, 2003

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. forces have attacked the Iraqi bases of Iran's main opposition group, the Mujahideen i-Khalq, The New York Times reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed U.S. government officials.

The newspaper quoted the officials saying the group, also known as the People's Mujahideen Organisation of Iran, had supported Saddam Hussein, making it a legitimate military target.

With tanks and artillery as well as armed fighters based the border with Iran, the Mujahideen has sought to overthrow Iran's Islamic government for more than a decade.

The U.S. government estimated recently that the group had "several thousand fighters," most of whom are based in Iraq (news - web sites).

Mohammad Mohaddessin, a top official of an Iranian opposition coalition that includes the Mujahideen, said there had been repeated U.S. air strikes on the group's bases followed by cross-border raids on its guerrillas inside Iraq by Iranian forces.

But he also said the group had been assured by "proper U.S. authorities" that its camps north of Baghdad would not be targets of U.S.-led military operations.

The United States bombed the group's military headquarters at Camp Ashraf, about 60 miles north of Baghdad, as well as one of its two other bases in Iraq, the report said.

In a statement last November, a bipartisan group of over 150 members of Congress urged the Bush administration to remove the organization from the State Department's terrorist list, calling them an effective counter to the Iranian government.

An American defense official said on Wednesday U.S. forces were still pursuing various paramilitary and other opposition groups based inside Iraq. He could not confirm the attacks were aimed directly at the Mujahideen.

But he said the area north of Baghdad where the group was known to have bases is still not secured, and Washington could not rule out ground attacks with "foreign fighters."

Earlier on Wednesday, The Paris-based Iranian opposition coalition said it would hold marches in Washington and across Europe this weekend to protest the Iranian attacks on its bases in Iraq which it said killed 28 of its members.