re: "Robust Briefing on Camp Ashraf and the Robust MEK"

Peter at We Meant Well ("How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People") brought us up-to-date on our PMOI friends.

Money quote(s):

"Ambassador Daniel Fried is the Special Advisor for Camp Ashraf. He is tasked with overseeing a nice ending to a problem the US (and Iraq) have conveniently put off for almost nine years during the Occupation.

The MEK people are still living in Iraq, at a place called Camp Ashraf, and Iraq would generally prefer that they all die, or disappear or die and disappear. The US has run the gamut of emotions and policy positions on MEK (it’s complicated), but prefer that they just disappear without the being massacred by Iraqis part."

The motivation for massacre comes in two parts: first is resentment/revenge on the part of the Iraqi themselves; the second is acting on behalf of the nearby Iranian regime.

"The UN has come up with a solution that might work. The MEK people will move from distant, tainted and often rocketed Camp Ashraf into the recently-abandoned Camp Liberty. Once the home of Iraq’s largest PX store during the Occupation, Liberty now has lots of openings for new residents. The nice thing is that Liberty is pretty close to the World’s Largest Embassy (c) and so the US can play a “monitoring” role, basically visiting once in a while to deter the Iraqis from just rolling in and killing everyone one night. The UN is later supposed to arrange something for the 3,200 MEK folks– refugee status, immigration, Publisher’s Clearing House prize, anything to get them out of Iraq before they all are ground into sausage meat by the democracy there."

Moving the PMOI to the-Camp-formerly-known-as-Liberty makes it much less likely that they will suddenly "commit suicide" one dark night (at the hands of other than themselves). Proximity to our embassy and to U.N. missions tasked with their welfare means the problem doesn't get massacred or wished away.

"A statement by people in Camp Ashraf said that as a first step, a group of 400 are ready “to move to Camp Liberty with their vehicles and moveable belongings on December 30.” The transfer, however, did not happen as the Iraqi government stepped in to require that people did not carry more than a travel bag to the new looted camp which now lacks basic infrastructure and drinking water.

Ambassador Fried (his real name) held a briefing at the State Department that was quite informative, with a transcript now online. Among the many complications, he reveals that there are at least two (Iranian-) Americans among the Camp Ashraf residents. The briefing sidesteps the messy question of MEK’s status on the US terrorist list and keeps the focus on the humanitarian side, which is probably the best way out."

The PMOI has considerable in the way of moveable assets, equipment, personal belongings, everything from kitchen implements to their museum, even possibly their dead (there is a cemetary). They would, naturally enough, like to take as much of what makes their life survivable and livable with them, as well as their non-combat vehicles, with them. Anything left behind will be looted and/or desecrated, possibly as they exit the camp gates.

Another issue will be route security. Moving 3,200 people or so from Camp Ashraf to Baghdad is a non-trivial task in a combat zone, which Iraq sadly remains.

12/31