February 18, marks one of the bitterest and most defeat-laden days for the terrorist Mujahedin-e Khalq group. It was the day when the first group of MEK members — who for years had claimed with false boasts and harsh slogans that Ashraf Camp was their “invincible base” — boarded Iraqi vehicles and left the soil of this base for Camp Liberty.
This event was not merely a geographical relocation but the collapse of a great lie and a display of the depth of helplessness and strategic defeat of a group that had long sung the anthem “Even if the mountain moves, Ashraf will not move from its place.” But history showed that the mountain did not move, yet the will of the Iraqi nation and the international community to cleanse this stain of shame from the soil of love shook Ashraf and ultimately dragged its residents not only to Liberty but eventually all the way to Albania.
The leaders of the MEK terrorist group, for months, used childish excuses and heavy financial lobbying to try to delay the implementation of the agreement with the Iraqi government. They said they would not leave Ashraf so that they could buy time and keep hidden what they had concealed in this military-terrorist base. But ultimately, they were forced to surrender to the will of the Iraqi government and, in several stages, sent their members on foot to Liberty.
But the key question is: Why did the Mujahedin insist so stubbornly on preserving Ashraf? The answer must be sought in their terror of the exposure of horrifying secrets buried under the soil of this camp and in the cells of its secret prisons. These include:
- Prisons and silent prisoners: Reports indicate the existence of dissidents and opponents held in secret prisons in Ashraf in solitary confinement cells. Rajavi, who had repeatedly promised the physical elimination of critics, knew well that leaving Ashraf and the entry of Iraqi forces would mean the release of these prisoners and the exposure of his crimes against his own members. He sought time so that perhaps, before leaving the base, he could permanently close these “moving files.”
- Mass graves: The discovery of a mass grave in April 2011 in one part of Ashraf Camp was only the tip of the iceberg. Reliable information indicates that in other parts of this base, the bodies of opponents, Kuwaiti prisoners, and individuals killed by Saddam or within the group itself were hidden in mass graves. Rajavi was extremely terrified of the exhumation of these bodies and the documentation of his war crimes.
- Hidden weapons and military equipment: Ashraf Camp was a warehouse of hidden ammunition and weapons, some belonging to the Iraqi Ba’ath regime. Precise inspections by Iraqi forces of the Mujahedin during their exit showed that Rajavi was trying to transfer part of this arsenal to Liberty. The exposure of these weapons could have further revealed the terrorist and military nature of the group to the world.
- Sheltering Ba’ath regime leaders: For a long time, Ashraf Camp had become a safe haven for the remnants of Saddam Hussein’s regime. The movement and sheltering of prominent Ba’athist figures in this base was one of the most shameful pages of the Mujahedin’s cooperation with the enemies of the Iraqi people. Leaving Ashraf meant cutting this connection and possibly the arrest of those individuals.
- Preserving the life of Masoud Rajavi: Some speculations suggested that Masoud Rajavi, the hidden leader of the group, was concealed in underground anti-nuclear bunkers in Ashraf. The complete evacuation of the base would force him to exit and confront the bitter reality outside.
The transfer of the Mujahedin from Ashraf to Liberty and then to Albania marked the end of an illusion and the beginning of a truth. A truth that showed this group does not even adhere to its promises to its own members and sacrifices false ideals whenever the interests of its leaders are at stake. Today, on the anniversary of this transfer, one must ask: Where did all those claims and slogans go? And the clear answer is: They were buried behind the walls of Ashraf, along with the crimes and hidden secrets. May this lesson be a guiding light for all those who are still trapped in the clutches of these groups.