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| Iraq |
| Iraqi riot police withdraw from Iran exiles camp |
| 2009-07-30 |
| [Al Arabiya Latest] Iraqi riot police withdrew from a camp housing Iran's main exiled opposition on Wednesday after a raid by security forces triggered violent clashes that left more than 400 people wounded. The Iraqi army had stormed Camp Ashraf on Tuesday after a months-long tense stand-off around the base north of Baghdad, but were forced to call in riot police to quell violence when residents tried to resist. Iraq's defense ministry struck a tough tone, insisting the offensive against the People's Mujahedeen base in the province of Diyala was justified under a security agreement signed by Baghdad and Washington in November. "It's our territory and it's our right to enter, to impose Iraqi law on everybody," defense ministry spokesman General Mohammed Askari told Al Arabiya. "They (camp residents) have to submit to the law, and to Iraqi sovereignty. The SOFA (Status of Forces Agreement) authorizes us to do what we did," he said. |
| Posted by:Fred |