Iraqi tribes rally to support Iranian armed group facing expulsion

Agence France Presse
December 10, 2003
BY: BERTRAND ROSENTHAL

CAMP ASHRAF, Iraq, Dec 10 - Iraqi tribes living round the last remaining base of the People's Mujahedeen offered support Wednesday to the Iranian opposition group which Baghdad's interim rulers have decided to expel as terrorists.

A dozen tribal chiefs met leaders of the once powerful armed force who told AFP they could not talk because of "restrictions imposed by American forces".

US troops firmly control the huge compound about 100 kilometres (60 miles) northest of the capital.

"We are not authorised to talk to the press," one uniformed but unarmed member of the group said.

He did however hand out a statement from the People's Mujahedeen rejecting the expulsion.

The Governing Council in Baghdad on Tuesday night branded the Mujahedeen terrorists to be kicked out forthwith and their assets seized.

The Mujahedeen, who ran a low-level armed campaign against the Islamic Republic of Iran from bases along the border under Saddam Hussein's protection, suggested the US-appointed council did not have the legal right to take such a decision.

"Such a statement has no executive guarantees and only paves the way for terrorist activities by the mullahs' regime against the Mujahedeen in Iraq," a spokesman for the group said in a written text, using its usual epithet for the Islamic republic.

The Mujahedeen said its "presence in Iraq as a country under occupation is in the context of the Geneva Conventions."

"Such a statement has been dictated by the ruling clerics in Tehran and has no bearing on that issue."

Abbas al-Zawi, head of the Aza tribe, said: "We have met with Mujahedeen leaders Al-Saed Bahman and Mrs Peri."

He said the explusion order was "not just because it is a peaceful organisation" and accused the Governing Council of being a "puppet of the Iranian regime with no legal foundations to take such a decision."

Namman al-Jabbari of the Al-Jobour tribe and Ahmad al-Sumedia of the Al-Sumeidi nodded in agreement and said they would organise a protest.

Salem al-Zawi of the tribal council added: "The Mujahedeen have never interfered in the internal affairs of Iraq. We have known them for 20 years and we have never found any terrorists here."

An official statement released in Baghdad said: "The Governing Council unanimously decided to expel from Iraq by the end of the year the People's Mujahedeen because of the dark history of this terrorist organisation."

It did not say to where the people would be expelled.

A spokesperson from the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) hit back at the Mujahedeen rejection of the ruling.

"This is a Governing Council issue and they are fully authorised to take this decision," he said.

With the US army the only force likely to be able to expel physically the Mujahedeen, the spokesperson declined to comment on coordination between the Governing Council and the CPA to apply the decision.

A coalition military spokesperson said he had no details about the expulsion, but added: "We will confiscate their weapons.

"We don't know the time or the procedures (for confiscation)," but "they are now surrounded."

Iran greeted the expulsion as "very positive" and said the Islamic republic would show "leniency" to low-ranking members wishing to give themselves up.

The Mujahedeen, some 4,000-5,000 of whom had been regrouped and disarmed at the sprawling camp following the March-April invasion of Iraq, have since September been considered prisoners by the US-led coalition.

Two US tanks stood guard Wednesday as usual outside the camp entrance but after a check vehicles were going in and out.

English teacher Ahmad Ali turned up to give his class as he has for the past two months.

The group set up base in Iraq in 1986 and carried out regular cross-border raids into Iran, with which Iraq fought a bloody war between 1980 and 1988.

The Mujahedeen, listed as a terrorist organisation by Washington, kept out of the invasion which overthrew Saddam's regime and struck a deal with US forces that saw them hand over all but personal weapons.