Posted on 07/27/2005 1:40:09 PM PDT by F14 Pilot
The U.S. Government is now openly supporting the Mujahideen-e-Khalq, an Iranian resistance movement designated as terrorist organization by the US State Department. On June 20th of this year, the Mujahideen-e-Khalq held a conference at the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad, which is where many foreign journalists stay and is under the full protection of the U.S. Army. I was in the area of the hotel that day, and saw at least 10 U.S. tanks heading in the direction of the hotel to provide additional security. I knew of the conference in advance, because of a report issued to all NGO's working in Iraq, which mentioned that the conference would take place. The report warned of an increased danger of attacks against the hotel, as anti- U.S. insurgents were likely to attempt to disrupt the conference [1].
The Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MEK) is a Marxist oriented Iranian resistance organization founded in the 1960's to topple the pro- western regime of Reza Shah. Since that time, MEK has carried out scores of attacks and assassinated a number of Iranian government officials. MEK killed several American military and civilian personnel in Iran during the 1970's, and assisted in the occupation of the US embassy in Tehran in 1979 where American civilians were held hostage. Though MEK participated in the 1979 revolution, which toppled the Shah, once the Ayatollah Khomeini consolidated power in Iran, MEK moved their headquarters to Paris and continued resistance activities against the Islamic Republic. In 1981, MEK bombed the offices of the Islamic Republic Party, killing 70 high-ranking Iranian officials. MEK established its military headquarters in Iraq in 1986, where Saddam Hussein became their main source of funding and protection. In return, the MEK fought alongside Iraqi forces during the war against Iran in the 1980's, and assisted Saddam's security forces in putting down the Kurdish and Shiite revolts after the first Gulf War in 1991. The majority of Saddam's recently discovered mass graves are filled with the Shiite and Kurdish dead from this uprising. MEK military operations against Iranian targets continued through the 1990's. The U.S. Department of State added the MEK to its official list of terrorist organizations in 1997, and shut down the organization's Washington, DC office in 2003 [2].
During the U.S. invasion of Iraq, MEK forces in Iraq surrendered to U.S. forces and turned over their military hard wear, including several thousand tanks, armored personnel carriers, anti-aircraft guns, and other vehicles. Despite denying suspected terrorists from Afghanistan and elsewhere prisoner of war status under the Geneva conventions, the US granted this status to detained members of MEK in Iraq [3].
Support for the MEK reveals one of the advantages the U.S. has acquired by occupying Iraq. The country can now be used as a staging post for carrying out attacks against regimes hostile to U.S. interests in the region, whether through proxy organizations such as MEK, or by attacking such countries directly by dispatching U.S. forces based on Iraqi soil. U.S. planners are currently somewhat constrained from using the latter option due to the difficulty they face in pacifying Iraq, so the first option, namely supporting terrorist organizations that are trying to destabilize the Iranian regime, will likely be their preferred course of action until U.S. control of Iraq is fully consolidated.
So when Paul Wolfowitz promised Iraqis in 2003 that the US would hunt down the "monsters" that assisted Saddam in digging the mass graves in 1991 [4], the Bush administration was in fact just beginning its support for some of the direct perpetrators of these crimes. Also revealing is U.S. criticism of the new Iranian president elect, due to his alleged involvement in holding U.S. embassy personnel hostage in 1979. Though the U.S. admits the MEK was involved in the same incident, White House support for this terrorist organization continues. This kind of hypocrisy reveals much about what the global "war on terror" is really about. It's not a war against terror as such, but rather a war of terror to subdue resistance to the US designs in the region.
Sources:
[1] The organization which provides these security reports does not allow them to be cited publicly, and thus I cannot indicate the name of the source. The report for June 19th, 2005 stated the following: "A large conference involving the mujahadeen kalk and sponsored by the Iraqi Government is scheduled to take place in the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad 20th June, this may lead to insurgent attempts to disrupt the conference, HOM are advised to advise their staff to avoid this area."
[2] US State Department, Patterns of Global Terrorism 2002 (pdf). See specifically Appendix B: Background Information on designated foreign terrorist organizations, pg. 115 for information on the Mujahedeen-e-Khalq
See also this description of the group from Globalsecurity.org.
[3] Why the US granted 'protected' status to Iranian terrorists, The Christian Science Monitor, 07/29/2004.
[4] New York Times, July 20th, 2003.
Terrorists and criminals have no civil rights!
LoL
Why are you a big disgrace?
I do think before writing!
But I don't understand why I should waste my time bashing a terrorist group that has no place among Iranians?
BTW, I have said this 1 milion times: I'd rather live under the rule of mad Mullahs than to live under the rule of Marxist terrorists like MEK/NCRI traitors.
And AFAIK, these days are the anniversary of their shameful defeat at the hand of brave Iranians in 1988.
Well, if they wanna try it again... ok welcome to hell!
The same lesson will be taught again this time!
Don't forget Mersad operations!
Probably because he has nothing to do but being a disgrace
LoL
Don't reason with this guy!
You want the shah's line back, even though your countyrmen threw them out?
That all your proclamations of the current iranian revolution are without basis in fact?
That you want the US to make the changes that your own countrymen won't?
That you yourself live in a safe third country haven and are taking none of the chances that you want us to take?
No you can't deny them because you have said them all (except the second which is obvious since nothing has happened)here at various times.
I would laugh if I were you too.
Agreed! In the context of current events, fourth Geneva Convention status has certain rights associated with it. The MEK did not resist coalition forces by order of the PMOI leadership. They were non-belligerents which are essentially non-combatants. Read about Ansar Al-Islam, the other designated terrorist organization at the outset of operation Iraqi Freedom. They were terrorist combatants and were not awarded fourth Geneva Convention status. Like the MEK, Ansar was bombed initially but unlike the MEK fought back and coalition forces never stopped bombing them. Had coalition forces continued bombing the MEK, our troops would have been in violation of the law. Remember, we're talking about the United States Army not the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp.
Yes!
I know what US Army stands for!
But given the true facts about this marxist/islamist group, they should have been bombed too!
I am very reluctant to waste my time arguing with people like you!
BUT let me remind you again, may be it wakes you up!
Actually, His Majesty died on July 27th, 1980.
He can not be back, unfortunately. But I support a constitutional monarchy just like Spain, Denmark, Japan, England... etc
The revolution of 1979 was not supported by majority of the Iranian people. If you wanna know more, come to Iran so that I can show you!
I really don't want the US to invade my country like Iraq and wreck my beautiful country like Iraq.
We are able to bring the changes if necessary!
I am not in a safe third country!
Please don't waste my time any more!
"Despite denying suspected terrorists from Afghanistan and elsewhere prisoner of war status under the Geneva conventions, the US granted this status to detained members of MEK in Iraq [3]."
Whoa!! Huge lefty red-flag there. If they said the sky was blue I would have to go look to be certain.
Unfortunately, this is true!
They were given Protected Status!
You can do a little bit google on that!
Please be advised that F14 Pilot is clueless.
Please be advised that you are clueless!
You strike me as a smart guy who is well informed... but I have trouble believing that you have true facts that the State Department, the US Army, FBI among others, don't have. The Geneva Convention status came after a sixteen month interdepartmental investigation...
Your suggestion is essentially criminal... our military isn't going to line people up and execute thousands of non-combatants. There are only a few regimes willing to execute non-combatants in the thousands and the Iranian government is on that list.
I'm curious, based on your suggestion about what to do with the MEK, what sort of gruesome torture do you have in mind for the mullahs? Is it the same suggestion for them too?
Shoot the traitors!
Both Mullahs & their mercenary forces MEK
How old are you?
Huh? The MEK are mercenary forces for the mullahs?... and the U.S. is supporting terrorists who are mercenary forces for the mullahs...? That would make the mullahs an ally of the U.S. What's all the fuss about then. Next thing you know, CNN will be reporting "The Valeyat of Iran is shaking hands with President Bush in the Rose Garden..."
Your politics are either in the past... as in way far gone past, or the Twilight Zone... or both.
Submitted for your approval...
Old enough!
That is why we receive complaints from Iranians regarding the cooperation between terrorist MEK and some elements of congress, senate and Pentagon
I'm trying to figure out exactly who this guy is.
He's all over the place. He can't put together a coherent post and has the mentality of a 12 year old.
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