Library: Watchlist 2

People of southwestern Khuzestan province have been victims of war and terrorism within the past few decades. Since Saddam’s invasion of Iran in 1980, this province was the main location which came under the Iraqi Baath Party’s sustained attacks and its residents suffered the heaviest damages.

Mainly inspired by Saddam’s and Baath Party’s thoughts, multiple terrorist and separatist groups perpetrated acts of terror in this province even after the termination of war, and based on the available evidence, the majority of their victims were civilians. All these terrorist groups have offices in European countries, Australia, and North America.

Perhaps, one such prominent group is the Denmark-based Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahvaz (ASMLA). In 2005, the group established a military wing, and its former leader- who has Swedish citizenship- is now standing trial in Iran. The group’s leader before him is imprisoned in Denmark on charges of sponsoring terrorism in Iran and conducting espionage on behalf of Saudi Arabia against Denmark. The group’s opposing party operates under the same name in the Netherlands and it is not unlikely for this group to be causing trouble for Amsterdam.

The ASMLA conducted many terrorist operations such as bombings and assassinations in various locations in Khuzestan which have led to the death of 23 civilians. Bombing Saman bank in Ahvaz in January 2006, which inflicted 5 casualties (3 males and 2 females), is one of the greatest crimes this group has committed against innocent civilians.

Over the years, victims of this separatist terrorist group, which claims to be fighting for the rights of Arab citizens of Khuzestan, have been Arab civilians themselves. Separatism and terrorism are two despicable keywords in the literature of international politics. The least expectation which Iranian families hold is for the European countries where these terrorist groups reside to listen to the voice of terror victims and act justly.