Iran Focus: London, May 01 – Iran Focus has obtained a letter by an Iraqi soldier who took part in the 8 April 2011 attack on Camp Ashraf to his family and tribe. The letter was translated into English from Arabic.
Iran Focus
London, May 01 – Iran Focus has obtained a letter by an Iraqi soldier who took part in the 8 April 2011 attack on Camp Ashraf to his family and tribe. The camp houses 3,400 members of the main Iranian opposition group People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (PMOI). The unprovoked attack on the camp, harrowing scenes of which have been posted by the residents on the website YouTube, left 35 residents killed and over 300 injured, with the United Nations confirming that most were killed by gunfire and some after being run over by vehicles.
The letter was translated into English from Arabic. The Iraqi soldier’s name and tribe have been deliberately omitted.
Text of letter:
We had never come across this type of people. They showed extraordinary courage. They didn’t desert or flee the scene. And we killed many of them.
As we advanced, we came across Mojahedin who had no weapons or any other type of equipment. Yet they somehow managed to wear us out and to infuriate us. They truly aggravated us. They were incredibly brave and stood their ground. We fired on them, but they neither panicked nor ran away. Each time one of them was shot and fell to the ground, another one would quickly come and take their place, something that drove us mad and wore us out.
The Americans showed up at the scene. When they witnessed what was going on, they were furious, wondering what we’ve done, why we’ve advanced inside [into the camp] to such an extent and how many of them we had killed. There were many casualties.
The Mojahedin are simply fearless. Iranians have no fear. The Mojahedin are loyal and devoted to their cause and leadership.
When they fight, it is as though they are defending an ideal and not simply a piece of land. I don’t really know what kind of people they could be. But they managed to drive us mad.
I was stunned. Their women feared nothing. Their men feared nothing.
Before we entered their camp, we had predicted that they would flee the scene as soon as they came across armoured vehicles or the moment they were fired upon. But, as we continued to attack them, we realised how incredibly clever and courageous they truly are. They fought for every inch of land without having so much as a weapon or ammunition.
Whenever we shot a group of people and they fell, we convinced ourselves that the next target location would be cleared. Our mindset was that they will witness others being shot and laying on the ground, provoking the rest of the people to flee the area. But, as we approached the next location, the people there had an even stronger resolve and subsequently were being killed. Even their women were not afraid of being run over by vehicles.
I can only imagine if they had the weapons or the type of equipment that we had, there would have been no trace of us left there. We were really astonished by their courage and resolve.
We were told that these people were only fighting for Massoud and Maryam Rajavi. But what we witnessed there was something much more than that. We saw with our own eyes how they were fighting for [the revered Shiite] Imam Hossein and for their country.
I’m not sure if it’s the case that all Iranians are like that, or if these people are simply unique.
