From: hernlem@chess.ncsu.EDU (Brad Hernlem)
Subject: Re: Iran bombs "guerilla" bases in Iraq
Reply-To: hernlem@chess.ncsu.EDU (Brad Hernlem)
Organization: North Carolina State University
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 1992 20:28:15 GMT

In article <dfs.702586507@data>, dfs@doe.carleton.ca (David F. Skoll) writes:
> According to CBC news, Iranian planes bombed what they called
> "guerilla" bases in Iraq said to be used by the Mujahadin (sp?)
> opposition to the Iranian regime.
> 
> Looks like another country besides Israel bombs "guerilla" bases,
> in other countries, eh Brad?
> 
> I wonder if Mr. Hernlem will condemn this bombing and violation
> of Iraq's sovereignty with the vigour with which he condemns similar
> Israeli actions?  Will he condemn the terrorist attacks on Iranian
> embassies with the same feebleness as the attack on the Israeli
> embassy?
> 
> We shall see.
> 
> --
>                      |         | "Step up and shake the hand
> David F. Skoll       | ||||||| |  Of someone you can't stand,
> |_ _ _  __   __ _ __ |  \\V//  |  You can tolerate him if you try..."
>  / |  | |_|   | |  | |  __|__  |  -- Tom Lehrer, "National Brotherhood Week"
>
_____|________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for offering me this opportunity to express my opinion about
these events. Let me start off by suggesting that those who are
interested in these events should look into the news group
soc.culture.iranian as there are several recent postings about this
news. I believe that the Mojahedin Khalq Organization is a violent
oppresive party which has its own interest placed well above that of the
Iranian people. On the occasions that the MKO has infiltrated Iran, it
is my understanding that the local villagers have not embraced them as
liberators nor cooperated with them and consequently the MKO have killed
many of them as pasdaran sympathizers. If these people want to change
Iran, I believe it would be better for Iran and its people for them to
try to work within the framework of the existing government rather than
to propose violent revolution. The violence that they carried out
against Iranian embassies and missions throughout Europe and in Canada
and the U.S. (which included the taking of a hostage in New York for a
while) is testimony to the nature of this organization. The MKO admits
that it has training bases in Iraq and enjoys staging parades of its
military equipment to give the impression that it is an important force. 

****
From a UPI report (thanks to Babak Sehari):

The rebel group has an armed wing called the National Liberation Army of Iran,
established after Mojahedin leader Massoud Rajavi moved to Baghdad in 1986 when
he was expelled from Paris. It has several training bases near the Iranian
border.

NLAI forces made several attacks inside Iran during the Iran-Iraq war, but
after the 1988 cease-fire between the two countries it has been held on leash
by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, apparently seeking to stick by the terms of
the truce.

Since the cease-fire, NLAI forces have continued to train ''for the last and
final drive into Iran,'' a spokesman for the Mojahedin said. How soon the
assault would come ''we cannot say,'' but ''we are preparing ourselves,'' he
said.

He dismissed as propaganda an Iranian claim that the air raids followed a
Mojahedin attack on two tribal villages inside the Iranian border.

IRNA said: ''A number of tribesmen were killed and wounded and a number of
others were kidnapped by the invading MKO forces in the Qasr- e-Shirin area
near the Iraqi border.''
 
*****

Brad Hernlem (hernlem@chess.ncsu.EDU)