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A UN official in Baghdad has said that Bahrain has announced readiness to give refuge to members of the Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO), the Persian service of the Fars News Agency reported on Saturday, quoting the Iraqi Buratha news agency. |
The source who wanted to remain anonymous said that in a letter to the U.S. ambassador to Manama, Bahraini Foreign Minister Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, on behalf of the Bahraini king Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifah, has said that Bahrain is ready to provide accommodations for MKO members.
According to the report, the United Nations has not reacted to the issue so far, and it fears that the Bahraini government may use MKO members to target Bahraini protesters.
The leader of the MKO has welcomed Manama’s proposal.
At present, they are living in the camp Liberty, which is located near the international airport of Baghdad.
The MKO started its activities as a terrorist group based in Iraq in the early 1980s. In addition to the assassination of hundreds of Iranian officials and citizens, the group cooperated with Saddam Hussein’s Baathist regime in the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.
On September 28, the U.S. State Department formally removed the MKO from its official list of terrorist organizations, a move which prompted angry response from Iran.
The U.S. made the decision under the claim that the group has renounced violence.