The 2013 Camp Ashraf massacre (also referred to as the September 1 massacre) was a suspected terrorist attack on the Camp Ashraf refugee camp of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK), leaving 52 PMOI members dead and 7 missing. Iraqi security forces were believed to be responsible for the assault, with guidance and support from the Iranian government. On 17 December 2013, ''

Foreign Policy A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...

'' magazine revealed that "U.S. intelligence officials believe that Iranian commandos took part" in the attack "and then spirited seven members of the group back to Iran." Specifically, U.S. officials say that members of Iran's

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC; fa, سپاه پاسداران انقلاب اسلامی, Sepāh-e Pāsdārān-e Enghelāb-e Eslāmi, lit=Army of Guardians of the Islamic Revolution also Sepāh or Pasdaran for short) is a branch o ...

"helped plan and direct the assault on the camp... Gunmen from two of Tehran's Iraqi-based proxies,

Kata'ib Hezbollah Kata'ib Hezbollah ( ar, كتائب حزب الله, lit=Battalions of the Party of God)—or the Hezbollah Battalions—is a radical Iraqi Shiite paramilitary group which is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces backed by Iran. During the Ir ...

and

Asaib Ahl al-Haq Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq (AAH; ar, عصائب أهل الحق Aṣaʾib ʾAhl al-Haqq, "League of the Righteous"), also known as the Khazali Network ( ar, شبكة الخزعلي), is a radical Iraqi Shi'a political party and paramilitary group active ...

, then carried out the actual attack." Regarding Iraqi involvement, a U.S. official said, "Iraqi soldiers didn't get in the way of what was happening at Ashraf, but they didn't do the shooting."

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* – In a statement, UN Secretary General

Ban Ki Moon Ban Ki-moon (; ; born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was his country's Minister ...

said he "deplores the tragic events in Camp Ashraf." The UN human rights office and the

United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) was formed on 14 August 2003 by United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 1500 at the request of the Iraqi government to support national development efforts. UNAMI's mandate includes ...

(UNAMI) also condemned the attack. * – The U.S. State Department condemned "the horrific attack." The statement added, "We also note the troubling statements issued by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) praising the attack, and call on the Government of Iran to use whatever influence it might have with groups that may be holding missing persons from the camp to secure their immediate release." * – High Representative of the European Union

Catherine Ashton Catherine Margaret Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, (born 20 March 1956), is a British Labour politician who served as the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and First Vice President of the Europea ...

said, "I condemn in the strongest terms the killings that took place at Camp Ashraf." * Foreign Minister

Alistair Burt Alistair James Hendrie Burt (born 25 May 1955) is a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for North East Bedfordshire from 2001 until 2019. He was previously MP for his native Bury North in Greater Manchester from 1983 until ...

stated, "I am appalled to hear of the violence at Camp Ashraf in Iraq, which we understand has resulted in the death of many camp residents. We condemn this utterly, and our thoughts go out to the families of the victims." *

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

– The human rights organization called for "the Iraqi authorities to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Camp Ashraf massacre 2013 murders in Iraq 21st-century mass murder in Iraq 2013 in Iraq Conflicts involving the People's Mujahedin of Iran Iran–Iraq relations Massacres in 2013 Massacres in Iraq Terrorist incidents in Iraq in 2013 September 2013 crimes in Asia Iranian war crimes

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