Iran's Mujahideen Khalq under U.S. control

United Press International
December 13, 2003

BAGHDAD, Dec. 13 (UPI) - A top U.S. military commander said 3,800 guerrillas from the Iran opposition Mujahideen Khalq group were kept under his forces' control.

Gen. Ricardo Sanchez also told a press conference in Baghdad Saturday that the fate of the Iranian guerrillas, who were stripped of their heavy weapons, should be decided by the Iraqi people and not the U.S. command.

"It is up to the Iraq Governing Council to evict those guerrillas or not... We have nothing to do with that," Sanchez said.

He said the guerrillas, regarded by many Iraqis as terrorists, have been told that they must leave Iraq according to a plan coordinated with the council.

The council decided last week to expel the Mujahideen Khalq guerrillas by the end of 2003.