The Iranian Resistance has obtained fresh information from inside the Iranian regime on the criminal rocket attack on Camp Liberty, how the decision and coordination with Government of Iraq, and the operation itself was carried out. A summary follows:
1- The decision to attack was adopted in late January in mullahs’ regime Supreme National Security Council upon orders from Khamenei himself. The terrorist Qods Force and regime’s embassy in Baghdad were tasked with the execution of the attack and coordination with Government of Iraq.
2- Haj Yousef (IRGC Brigadier General Abdolreza Shahlaii), head of the groups of Jihadi and Kataeb Hezbollah in Iraq, in meetings with Abu-Mustafa Shaibani, Abu-Ala and Abu-Mehdi Mohandess, clerical regime’s known terrorists in Iraq, planned the operation.
3- General Shahlaii has been a commander in the terrorist Qods Force for over two decades. He trains assassins and terrorists to operate in Iraq in the Hezbollah garrison in Jalilabad, Varamin. The U.S. Treasury, in its statement of 11 October 2011, declared: “Shahlai is an IRGC-QF official who coordinated the plot to assassinate the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the United States Adel Al-Jubeir, while he was in the United States and to carry out follow-on attacks against other countries.”
4- The rocket attack on Camp Liberty was coordinated with Government of Iraq and the relevant security and military organs, including the Military Office of the Prime Minister and Ministry of Interior, by clerical regime’s ambassador in Baghdad Danaifar, plus an authority of the Qods Force, and agents of the Qods Force in the embassy.
5- According to the operation plan, all logistical support, including transfer of ammunition and the operating teams was managed by Iraq’s Ministry of Interior and Iraqi Police. Details from inside Camp Liberty and geographic coordinates of residents’ most populated locations were given to General Shahlaii by the Prime Ministry Office so that aiming of rockets would be as accurate as possible.
6- Contrary to terrorist operations that lack state logistical support, no handmade weapons or rockets were used in this attack and all rockets and launchers were factory made and hence their transfer demanded considerable resources. Because of this, and especially because of having exact geographic coordinates of Camp Liberty, contrary to usual terrorist attacks that considerable error is introduced in the targeting, all rockets hit inside Camp Liberty small area.
7- The operating group was composed of assassination teams of Kataeb Hezbollah and technical elements of the Qods Force who totaled 40 to include the logistical support elements as well. These assassination teams are created by the clerical regime, and in coordination with the Iraqi prime ministry they attack targets picked by the Iranian regime in Iraq.
8- General Shahlaii wrote in his report send to Tehran after this criminal attack that rockets were transferred to the launching area using state ambulances escorted by two airport-police vehicles, and were hidden in the tents set up the night before at the location.
According to this report, one of the serious difficulties in this operation was to avoid ordinary people or Iraqi forces from being informed of the plan that might make the operation impossible or hindered.
9- The route for the vehicles and the launching area were completely under surveillance of Baghdad Airport security cameras. These cameras cover an area several kilometers deep around the airport and control all movements. Airport cameras have recorded all details of transfer of rockets, operating team, police vehicles, and vehicles carrying the rockets. The films are kept in Iraq’s Prime Ministry Office.
10- According to the initial plan, the operation was to be done in two phases by two groups and from two locations firing a total of one-hundred 107mm rockets. The first group was the one that fired the 40 rockets and left the scene without any problem.
11- To inflict the most casualties, the second group was to fire another 60 rockets one hour after the first attack at a time when Camp Liberty residents are busy transferring the killed and wounded of the first attack.
However, a number of those in the second group were arrested by Iraqi soldiers and officers who were not aware of this terroristic crime which made execution of the second phase of the attack impossible. The sixty rockets left behind by this group were subsequently observed and collected by Iraqi forces. Those arrested were hurriedly released that same day through interference from Iraq’s Prime Ministry.
12- Since everyone knows that Kataeb Hezbollah is a terrorist group created by mullahs’ regime that operates in coordination with Maliki’s office, the clerical regime and Government of Iraq resorted to a new scheme to mislead; hence, they created a fictitious terrorist group called Jaish Al-Mokhtar to wash off their bloody hands from this crime. On February 9, Mullah Wathiq al-Battat, head of the new terrorist entity, assumed responsibility for the attack on Camp Liberty. However, Jaish al-Mokhtar is just a pseudonym for Kataeb Hezbollah that advances the dirty and bloody conspiracies of Khamenei and Maliki in Iraq.
13- Ironically, Jaish al-Mokhtar announced its existence on February 4, just five days prior to the rocket attack on Camp Liberty, and declared: “Jaish al-Mokhtar supports the central government in the fight against corruption and the corrupt and in facing terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda and the Free Army.” (Iraqi news agencies and media)
Subsequently, this declaration of existence was welcomed by clerical regime’s media, especially the IRGC and the website of IRGC’s previous commander.
According to a report by Iraqi television station Al-Rafedain, hours after this declaration of existence, a group of Maliki’s terrorists conducted a military parade in Sanaeh Club under the name of Jaish al-Mokhtar with protection from army and police forces.
14. According to credible Arab media like al-Hayat, Asharq Al-Awsat and Ilaf, calling this entity as “Mokhtar”(A name that symbolizes revenge) is a symbolic reference to Maliki himself. Asharq Al-Awsat wrote in this regard on February 11, “Mokhtar army has been created aimed at supporting Iraqi government for security control.” This paper adds that in slogans cried recently in Baghdad in support of Maliki by groups affiliated to him, Maliki was described as “Mokhtar of this era”. This group has threatened dissident leaders in Iraq, such as al-Iraqiya and organizers of anti-Maliki rallies, with physical annihilation.
15. In a deceitful and ridiculous move, Maliki ordered for the arrest of Mullah Battat. However, according to Arab media including Asharq Al-Awsat (February 11) and Iraqi Rafidain TV channel (February 10), Wathiq al-Battat along with six of his body guards have left Iraq for Syria, and Iraqi security agencies at the border were also quite aware of his passage.
16. In light of these very realities and in fear of international condemnations against brutal attack on Liberty, the mullahs’ regime and the Government of Iraq are distancing themselves from this crime and denying their role and involvement in it; such that even Danaifar, mullahs’ ambassador to Iraq, said to Kol al-Iraq news agency during opening “an Iranian school” in Karbala, “We condemn the attack on Liberty; this is an attempt to foment crisis and to create a propaganda wave aimed at accusing Iran to be involved in this incident.”
Yet, the day after, IRGC news agency recanted Danaifar’s remarks and claimed that the statements of Iran’s ambassador had been distorted in Iraqi media. IRGC’s news agency wrote, “Hassan Danaifar, the ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran, in an interview with Fars news agency reporter, said recent attack on Liberty temporary camp by an anonymous group … is for this group-let [PMOI] to imply being oppressed in a bid to return to Camp Ashraf, and added: the recent attack on Liberty temporary camp is suspicious and we believe that inner elements from the Monafeqin had organized this attack in order to imply before human rights organizations that they have been oppressed.”
17. Mullahs’ Foreign Ministry announced in Tehran on Tuesday February 12th, “recent attack against camp Liberty in Iraq” is something that has occurred “inside Iraq’s territory and has no connection with Islamic Republic… these measures and pretending to be oppressed is aimed at delaying implementation of the agreement” with UN to transfer PMOI members outside of Iraq, and the PMOI try to prevent have this agreement fail.
18. Under severe extensive international condemnations and while calls for return of Liberty residents to Ashraf grow, Iraqi Foreign Ministry announced on Monday February 11 in a statement full of lies, “Al-Hurriya temporary camp of members of “MEK” was exposed to a terrorist attack by an anonymous party, and the camp was targeted with 25 mortar rounds.” This is while Iraq’s Foreign Ministry knows well that those who ordered for the crime are sitting in the Iranian regime’s embassy and Iraqi Prime Ministry which are only few hundred meters away from the Ministry. Iraqi Foreign Ministry speaks of 25 mortar rounds while Iraqi military experts specified after visiting the location that the attack has been carried out by 107mm rockets and they have observed and identified 38 locations where the rockets had landed.
19. Iraqi foreign ministry has added, “Iraqi authorities have planned and started measures to identify criminals who committed this terrorist and criminal act and have started quick investigation to bring them to justice for a fair punishment.” Promising for investigation and trial by the Government of Iraq about a crime that it has had the major role in it cannot fool any kid. Investigations over crimes of 28-29 July 2009 and 8 April 2011have been forgotten too.
20. Yet, if the Government of Iraq is sincere in what it is claiming of not having been involved in this crime:
First: It should end the four and half-year-long siege against the resident, and it should permit international investigative delegations, observers, reporters and lawyers to enter Liberty to observe remnants of this crime.
Secondly: By returning Liberty residents to Ashraf, it should provide security to residents against recurrence of similar attacks in future.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
February 13, 2013
