The Agence France Presse and the Associated Press reported that a UN team visited Ashraf on Monday September 2nd. The Associated Press reported: “This visit is conducted with the goal of determining how many people were killed on Sunday and how; the Mujahedin-e Khalq claims that more than 50 people were killed during the violence that it attributed to the Iraqi security forces. Iraqi officials describe a lower figure… some say that the bloodshed started with the internal fighting among camp members.”
The Agence France Presse reported: “Iraqi officials stressed that no Iraqi soldier has entered Ashraf and said that the explosions were due to mortars hitting an oil or gas tanker… Meanwhile, the People’s Mojahedin accused the Iraqi forces of carrying out a massacre.”
It is essential to note the following facts:
1. In another report on Monday, the AFP wrote: “After the death of these individuals, the Iraqi Prime Minister formed an investigation committee.” The goal of this committee is clearly to circumvent Maliki’s responsibility for this massacre.
2. Today, a UN team led by acting Special Representative of UN Secretary General closely witnessed at Ashraf the bodies of 52 martyrs, many of whom were initially arrested and taken hostage, and then received coup de grace bullets fired by Nouri Maliki’s special forces. The UN team witnessed that most of the martyrs were killed by bullet shots into their heads.
3. The residents agreed to the suggestion made by acting representative of the Secretary General for transferring the bodies of the 52 martyrs to Iraqi hospitals for completing the investigations and autopsy. The residents took pictures and filmed the bodies of every one of the martyrs and turned all of them over to the UN Human Rights representative in Iraq, and all of the martyrs were moved out of Ashraf by 10:00 PM local time.
4. Despite this fact, “a senior police officer which is part of the investigation team” formed by Maliki told the AFP that the residents “did not accept to turn over the bodies and relocate the bodies from their original location.” Considering the lie by the senior officer of Maliki’s investigation committee, one can find out the true nature of Maliki’s committee and its goals.
5. In another lie, the investigation officer of Maliki’s committee told AFP: “The deaths of these individuals were probably due to an internal fighting in Ashraf, investigators found large quantities of explosive TNT inside the vehicles, houses, and heavy machinery.”
6. Details of this major crime by the Iraqi government have been described in the statement number 23 of the NCRI’s Secretariat. This enormous crime was organized by forces under command of Maliki at the order of Khamenei, and Major General Jamil Shemeri, Commander of Diyala Police and the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Special Forces carried it out. Further details will be forthcoming.
7. NCRI statements number 22 and 23 stated that: “The attacking force carried fabricated plastic explosives with timers as well as various grenades. They exploded many vehicles, containers, water tankers and doors to rooms. On their way out of the area, the criminals exploded and set fire to many rooms, some trailers, several lift trucks, several fuel tankers and reefers, and eight Toyota land cruisers. Explosives failed to detonate in some rooms and vehicles and remain unexploded in those places.”
8. Despite the official lies by the Iraqi government:
• Reuters wrote on September 1st: “Two Iraqi security sources said that army and special forces had opened fire on residents who had stormed a post at the entrance to Camp Ashraf, a site that Iraq’s government wants closed down. They said at least 19 were killed, 52 wounded and 38 arrested and that they believed residents were not armed.”
• CNN’s web site wrote on September 1st: “Two officials with Iraq’s Interior Ministry told CNN that security forces raided Camp Ashraf after their base was hit by mortar rounds.”
• Iranian Intelligence Ministry’s News Agency (Mehr) wrote on September 1st that: “On the sidelines of the cabinet meeting, the Intelligence Minister said about the attack on Ashraf Garrison that the Iraqi government has been forced to confront the terrorists residing at Ashraf garrison.”
Secretariat of the National Council of resistance of Iran
September 3, 2013