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Also on the page: "April 15, 2003: Coalition aircraft bombed the bases of The People's Mujahadeen, an Iranian opposition movement based in Iraq. Comprised mostly of secular Iranians who opposed, first the Shah, and then the Islamic revolution in Iran, they regularly stage raids into Iran. But in 1991 they also helped Saddam suppress rebellions by Kurds and Shias. They are thought to have 10-15,000 armed men and women in several camps along the Iranian border. It was thought that some of the camps were bombed as early as April 4th or 5th. Reporters visiting the camps have found them recently evacuated. Coalition forces report that they have been negotiating with the leaders of the People's Mujahadeen. If members of the People's Mujahadeen were sent back to Iran, many would be imprisoned and executed. Because of that danger, most People's Mujahadeen members have apparently fled the camps and are attempting to get out of Iraq."

I think we can productively use the MEK's 10-15K armed men and women in Iran. True, they aided Hussein against the Shia uprisings in 1991, but I think they were doing it for different reasons than Hussein-- Hussein feared that he would be toppled and the MEKs feared that Iraq would become a total theocratic state like the one Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenei wants in Iran-- making it considerably less likely that Iran would ever throw off its theocracy. We in the US felt the same fear as the MEK about those uprisings. We wanted a kinder, gentler military dictator to replace Saddam in 1991. I'd be willing to give them a blank slate if they decided to be a true ally against Iran and our other enemies. How about the rest of you here at FR?