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| Gen. Hugh Shelton |
Special to the Observer
I have long advocated that the
United States must uphold its promises to protect the thousands of unarmed
Iranian refugees in Iraq as they await final resettlement to third countries
through the United Nations. To my regret, warnings of an impending bloodbath
perpetrated by Tehran came true last month when 24 Iranian dissidents were
killed in a horrific rocket attack against their defenseless encampment. Dozens
more were wounded.
Over 80 missiles rained into Camp
Liberty, where 2,200 members of the main Iranian opposition group, the
Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) have lived since February 2012, when they agreed to
relocate from Camp Ashraf, their home of 25 years, as a good faith gesture to
then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. In 2003, the group disarmed – just two
years after renouncing violence in exchange for U.S. protection. But the U.S.
has consistently reneged on its written commitment to these defenseless
refugees, even in the wake of repeated attacks.
This is the seventh time during
their stay in hellish purgatory that Tehran or Iraqi proxies have attacked.
Iranian-made rockets were found among the missiles that hit the camp in the
recent assault.
The timing of the attack is
revealing. Emboldened by the nuclear deal, Tehran has stepped up targeted
killings in Iraq and Syria, while taking a more heavy-handed approach towards
opposition at home and beyond. A host of former American military and
bipartisan government leaders have been unequivocal about the threat of growing
Iranian influence to western interests in the region. The Obama administration
has responded by keeping our sworn enemy closer, even inviting them to
participate in prospective discussions on ending the Syrian conflict.
It is no surprise – but a colossal
moral and strategic failure – that the administration has turned a blind eye to
the dissidents languishing in Iraq. The regime in Tehran fears the MEK. In
turn, the Obama administration was not about to jeopardize its chances to
negotiate even a flawed nuclear deal by addressing the plight of these
refugees. Even if it meant breaking a decade-long promise that could have saved
dozens of lives in Camp Liberty.
With no arms and no protection, the
dissidents are sitting ducks. They have been awaiting relocation to friendly,
democratic nations. But in the absence of offers of asylum from the U.S., few
have managed to leave the country.
Secretary of State John Kerry
condemned the latest strike as a “brutal, senseless terrorist attack” and vowed
to work with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to speed up the relocation
process. Despite the Secretary’s good intentions, however, the emptiness of his
rhetoric rings in my ears. At least 140 residents have been killed since 2009 while
the administration has simply watched on the sidelines. And at the current pace
of relocation, it will take another six years – until 2021 – when the last of
these residents is out of harm’s way.
Preventing further attacks by
providing US air cover for Camp Liberty – as proposed by Senate Armed Services
Committee Chair John McCain – would be a step in the right direction.
Turning a blind eye to targeted
attacks on Camp Liberty only impedes the fight for democracy in Iran.
Opposition leader Maryam Rajavi has laid out her ten-point plan for the future
of Iran, which includes free and fair elections, the rule of law, safeguards
for the rights of women and minorities, and a non-nuclear state that values
peace with its neighbors.
With each death of a dissident sworn
to uphold this plan, the dream of a democratic Iran slips further away, as does
the credibility of the U.S.
General Hugh Shelton was the 14th
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
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