Missile attack was carried out with assistance from governmental forces and was designed to inflict high casualties
Attack on Liberty was predictable given warnings issued by residents, Iraqi government’s positions, and threats by terrorist Quds Force
Based on international law and multilateral agreements, United States and United Nations are answerable concerning residents’ protection
NCRI – New details from inside the clerical regime that have reached the Iranian Resistance on the third missile attack against Camp Liberty clearly show that this criminal operation was carried out by the terrorist Quds Force in cooperation and complete coordination with government of Iraq and Iraqi security forces. In this operation, where 40 107mm missiles were fired into Camp Liberty in ten minutes (from 1:15 pm to 1:25 pm, local time), two members of the PMOI were slain and 70 others were injured and millions of dollars in property damage was incurred by residents.
1. These missiles were fired from an area southeast of Camp Liberty using four launch pads installed on a truck, each capable of launching 12 missiles. The number of missiles fired was over 40 and 35 impact points inside Camp Liberty have so far been identified with two missiles failing to explode.
2. Ali Khamenei, the regime’s Supreme Leader himself gave the go ahead for the attack and the responsibility for carrying out the attack was left to the terrorist Quds Force. This deadly operation was organized for the day after the sham presidential election and concurrent with announcement of the outcome of the election. The terrorist Quds Force and its affiliated groups such as Kataeb Hezbollah and Asaib al-Haq had made the preparations, but its implementation awaited Khamenei’s final go ahead command to the Quds Force the night before the attack, i.e. end of election day.
3. Intelligence and operational coordination for this missile attack was made through the prime ministry office and the regime’s ambassador in Baghdad as well as commanders of the terrorist Quds Force. Only through using state resources attackers would have been capable of preparing an exact plan to fire over 40 missiles. In typical terrorist operations in the cities, 107mm missiles are fired only in a limited number using one-barrel launch pads. Moreover, attack was launched in the middle of the day and rush hour and the site of launching the attack was a high security area. Preparing a launch pad to fire requires at least 20 minutes and given the state of security in Baghdad, transfer of this volume of weapons and ammunition passed inspection points needed prior coordination and support from the security forces.
4. This criminal operation was carried out by trained professional teams and according to the plan, residents’ gathering sites and dining facilities were to be attacked at launch hour. Without residents’ preparedness and watchfulness, casualties would have been much higher.
5. The way the attack was carried out and the missile impact points demonstrate that attackers had detailed information from inside Camp Liberty and places of gathering of the residents. Previously, residents had numerously objected to Kobler’s special agents harassing acts in taking pictures and films for no reason. In Liberty’s Daily Report of May 30, 2013, sent to U.S., European and UN officials one reads: “Today one of UNAMI’s Monitors by the name Masoud Durrani in his multiple visits to the camp was taking a lot of photos from living places of the residents and streets in a strange manner. All the residents were doubtful of such an act of taking pictures and were saying it is not clear why he is taking pictures in such manner while this team is in the camp every day and there is nothing new for them and what is behind such photo and how Martin Kobler is going to misuse these pictures.”
6. While Martin Kobler’s special agents, especially an individual called Masoud Durrani, were in Camp Liberty on a daily basis harassing residents, their sudden absence on the day of the attack (June 15) raises many questions.
7. On May 29 at the European parliament Martin Kobler wickedly stated: “The European Parliament that I thought stands for human rights,… overlooks the structures in Camp Liberty where people are kept in sections, having 30 canteens in order to prevent all the people gathering in one canteen,… Is this a human rights policy?”
8. Subsequently, residents in their statement with 3000 signatures stressed: “We call on the U.S. government, United Nations and European Union to impel the Iraqi government to agree with the construction of a mortar-resistant dining facility with a capacity of 3,000 people… all at our own expense. …. We will then most certainly close down all 30 dining halls claimed by Mr. Kobler…. While the Iraqi government has not agreed with any of our protective necessities in Liberty and not even one T-wall has been brought into the camp and Mr. Kobler hasn’t raised any objections to this issue and has feloniously cloaked this fact in the European Parliament, he intends to gather us in an unprotected dining facility so we would become targets of the regime’s massacre. This is called collaboration with the henchman.”
9. In the four months since the February 9 missile attack, residents and their representatives warned the Secretary-General, as well as other UN and US officials in dozens of letters that future attacks are on the way and requested security measures in Liberty and the returning of residents to Camp Ashraf. The Government of Iraq explicitly declared that it is incapable of preventing missile attacks on Liberty (AP – February 9). Elements of the terrorist Quds Force in Iraq assumed responsibility for the February 9 attack and declared that they would hit Liberty again (Asharq Al-Awsat, Al-Hayat, and AP of February 25-26, 2013). These hirelings stipulated that they implement their military operations upon Khamenei’s orders and “promised they would inflict a second crippling blow on the PMOI” and stressed: “We consider striking and killing them as a religious and ethical duty and we would target them again in near future.”
10. On April 30, the President-elect of the Iranian Resistance Mrs. Maryam Rajavi wrote to United States President stating the the April 29, 2013 rocket attack “was a serious warning as far as the safety and security of more than 3,000 defenseless residents are concerned. Some 80 days after the previous missile assault, the Iraqi government has prevented the implementation of security measures at Liberty. Neither a single T-Wall has been returned, nor have the protective helmets and vests been allowed to be brought from Ashraf. The residents have not been permitted to engage in construction or expand the area of the Camp and denied permission to transfer their medical equipment from Ashraf to Liberty. Camp Liberty is only 0.2 square miles and consists entirely of trailers that are very vulnerable to missiles, rockets and mortars. Since there are no immediate prospects for the resettlement of all the residents to the United States or Europe, the only practical option to avert another massacre and to ensure the safety and security of the residents is their temporary return to Ashraf and gradual resettlement from there.”
11. On May 5, 2013, residents’ representative wrote to U.S. Secretary of State: “As the current crisis in Iraq has made Al-Maliki even more dependent on the orders of the Iranian regime and because of Kobler’s positions, more bloodshed is inevitable. The only way to avoid it is an active US intervention and specifically taking immediate measure for the return of the residents to Ashraf, the removal of Kobler from the residents dossier and undertaking the responsibility of the Ashraf and Liberty dossier by the UNHCR within the mandate of the UN.”
12. On May 3, 2013, Dr. Alejo Vidal Quadras, Vice-President of the European Parliament and President of the International Committee In Search of Justice, wrote to the U.S. Secretary of State: “The firing of 20 missiles at Liberty on April 29, that fortunately left no human casualties, showed once again that Liberty residents have no security and Liberty is prone to massacre at any given time… the residents’ vulnerability is much higher than that of regular Iraqi citizens because all there is at Liberty are trailers, the population concentration is very high, and more importantly, due to the prison conditions at Liberty, the residents have no escape and are confined to Liberty’s perimeters at the time of danger.”
13. Since the first missile attack on the camp on February 9, 2013, the residents and their representatives have urged for providing of five minimum security necessities at Liberty by writing hundreds of letters and also through meetings and contacts with UN, US and Iraqi officials. These necessities included: returning T-walls, transferring protective helmets and vests from Ashraf to Liberty, transfer of primary medical equipment, allowing minimum construction in Liberty, and increasing camp area. On 16 April 2013 the GOI representative, in the presence of UNHCR representative and UNAMI deputy, agreed with the transfer of tall T-walls. Following a May 8 visit by a delegation of UNAMI officers and representatives of Government of Iraq from gathering sites of Camp Liberty, they informed residents’ representatives that they have only approved entry of 2600 T-walls for protection of gathering sites. Finally, the GOI representative announced in the presence of UNAMI and UNHCR representatives that all minimum necessities had been rejected.
14. The Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran announced on 5 April 2013 that after his visit to Iraq, Heydar Moselhi, mullahs’ intelligence minister, had stressed in his report to Khamenei’s office, Maliki and Faleh Fayyaz have reassured him that they would treat residents of Camp Liberty in the harshest way and that returning of the protective T-walls, extending the area of Camp Liberty and construction in the camp, as well as the entering of sandbags requested by the PMOI to increase the security factor in Camp Liberty would be prohibited.”
15. Martin Kobler, who is well aware of Iraqi government’s disregard to minimum security necessities, in at least eleven letters to residents’ representative after the missile attack and in his speeches at the Security Council and the European parliament, in amazing falsifications, bragged about his efforts to provide security to Camp Liberty, the progress made, and the good intentions of Iraq. On March 4 he wrote to residents’ representative: “we fully support your requests to improve security in camp liberty at the highest levels.”
And then on March 15 he again wrote: “we continue to fully support your security demands vis a vis the government of iraq. i hear progress has been made during the last week. we continue to follow up during the week to come” Kobler’s deputy wrote on April 11: “Work under way for improving security at CL, followed closely by our monitors, is progressing.”
On April 13 Kobler wrote: “I have in front of me the latest statistics on where we stand on large t-walls, small t-walls, bunkers, sandbags, personal protection equipment (PPE) and the emergency equipment in the clinic.” He craftily implies that part of the essential security requests of residents has been implemented.
16. It is crystal clear that by preventing the provision of essential security necessities, the GOI intends to inflict more casualties on the PMOI in further attacks. This is a point the residents have warned of time and again. On 15 March 2013, more than 3000 residents wrote to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: “While threats by the Iranian regime and its elements and hirelings in Iraq for future attacks on Liberty continue, the Iraqi government stonewalls the least protective measures in the camp. It has not allowed a single T-wall into the camp. Likewise, it prevents transfer of our protective vests and helmets from Ashraf… thereby intentionally left the containers vulnerable to any attack. There is no doubt the goal of Iranian regime and the GOI is to inflict further casualties on us in later attacks.”
On June 11 and after the GOI announced its opposition to all minimum necessities, the NCRI announced, “its opposition to the minimum security provisions at Camp Liberty vividly demonstrates that this government not only lacks any intention to resolve Liberty residents’ problems with their protection, but in fact wishes them to suffer most damage in future attacks.”
17. Both PMOI members who were slain on June 15 were hit inside their trailers by shrapnel; also, the wounded were injured mainly due to shrapnel hitting trailers. In some cases, a small shrapnel had passed through 3-4 trailers and then hit an individual. Had the T-walls not taken away, none of the residents would have been killed and the number of injured would have been much less. If the residents had personal protective equipment such as helmets and vests, those who were hit on their head, face and chest by shrapnel would have not been injured.
18. Following the February 9th attack, the GOI agreed on 500 small bunkers to be brought into the camp from the area around Liberty. However, after bringing a number of them, the GOI stopped their transfer two months ago. The number of transferred bunkers into the camp is very insufficient to face emergency conditions.
19. Comparing the two missile attacks against Camp Liberty on February 9 and June 15, 2003, which left 10 killed and more than 170 injured, with the 22 attacks against Camp Ashraf during years 1992-2011, including attacks by SCUD-B missiles and some air attacks that left only one killed, shows how insecure Camp Liberty is and opposing the transfer of residents to Ashraf is a deliberate grand crime.
20. Therefore, because of residents’ warnings, as well as the stance of the Iraqi government and threats by groups affiliated with the Quds Force, doubtless the attack of June 15 on Camp Liberty was predictable for both UN and U.S. and hence preventable. Thus they are deeply responsible for this attack and its casualties. The following facts clearly demonstrate that the United States and the United Nations in view of international law, in view of law derived from bilateral and multilateral compacts, and politically are thoroughly responsible for protection of PMOI members in Liberty and Ashraf:
a) The U.S. government and the MNF-I acknowledged status of all Ashraf residents in 2004 as protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention.
b) The U.S. government has signed an agreement with each and every Ashraf resident assuming responsibility for their protection in return for consolidation of their weapons until their final disposition.
c) According to U.S. Secretary of State’s statement of 25 December 2011, as well as her messages to provide safety and security to Ashraf residents, they accepted relocation to Camp Liberty. In that statement Ms. Clinton emphasized: “officials from U.S. Embassy Baghdad will visit regularly and frequently.” Since February 9, 2013, U.S. representatives have only visited Camp Liberty twice.
d) In the quadrangle agreement between the U.S., UN, Iraq and Ashraf residents on 17 August 2012, U.S. obligated itself to support “safety and security” of residents. Based on this agreement groups six, seven and eight went from Ashraf to Camp Liberty.
e) Based on repeated statements by UNHCR, all Liberty residents are asylum-seekers and people of concern and should enjoy international protection. In its March 1, 2013 statement UNHCR stressed the need to provide a safe and healthy environment to residents.
Given the abovementioned and the fact that similar attacks to those on February 9, April 29, and June 15 may happen at any moment and any day, the Iranian Resistance once again calls for immediate action by the international community, especially the U.S. and the UN, to return Liberty residents to Ashraf and their transfer from Ashraf to third countries.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
June 17, 2013
