Iraqi soldiers took control of an Iranian exile camp north of the capital on Tuesday, the government said. According to Reuters, the clashes killed four of the dissidents Iraq hopes to expel.
In the past, the Iraqi authorities promised to close Camp Ashraf and send members of the People's Mujahideen of Iran (PMOI) to Iran or a third country. The camp's 3,500 residents enjoyed some American military protection, but Iraqi forces have gradually taken over. "Four residents of Camp Ashraf, members of the PMOI, were shot and killed by the Iraqi security forces as a result of opening fire on the unarmed people in Ashraf at 8 p.m. today," Ashraf spokesman Shahriar Kia said in a statement, cited by Reuters.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the Iraqi government had assumed security responsibility for the Camp and thus it was up to Baghdad to handle the matter.
