Turkey mainly, Iraq and the Kurds (2006-2014)

[Jedburgh]

....MEK could be an intelligence gathering boon to us, regarding activities inside Iran, but State says MEK is bad, so DoD can't work with them.....

Not a boon - we should avoid getting on that horse. MEK sources tend to be about as reliable as were INC sources prior to OIF. We need to develop our own independent sources in-country, no matter how difficult it may be, not use those of compromised expats with an unhealthy agenda. Didn't we learn that lesson?

There's also the risk that by using such a source, we legitimize some of the Iranian government's propaganda claims about how we operate - thus making it even more difficult to recruit good sources.

[Ken White]

...MEK sources tend to be about as reliable as were INC sources prior to OIF ... Didn't we learn that lesson?

and we seem to have to re-learn it every 10 to 20 years...

[Jedburgh]

The Jamestown Foundation's Terrorism Monitor, 26 Mar 09:

PJAK, Iran and the United States: Kurdish Militants Designated Terrorists by the United States

The United States Treasury Department added the Free Life Party of Kurdistan (Parti bo Jiyani Azadi la Kurdistan - PJAK) to its list of designated terrorist groups on February 4. Operating on the Iranian-Iraqi border under the umbrella of the Kurdistan Workers Party (Parti Karkerani Kurdistan - PKK), PJAK has sought to create an autonomous Kurdish region within Iran since its formation in 2004, though the relationship between Iran and the PKK dates back to the creation of the Islamic State of Iran in 1979. This development also highlights unique dynamics of the relationship between a terrorist organization (the PKK) and a state sponsor (Iran).....

[Tom Odom]

MEK is in the news here locally and internationally as a pawn again in an Iraqi-Iranian chess game. As of 1 January Camp Ashraf 60 miles north of Baghdad went to ISF control. Gov Iraq says they must go; they don't want to go to Iran; no one else wants them. Have to wait and see how it turns out (the MEK will no doubt lose).

Best
Tom

[Schmedlap]

Have to wait and see how it turns out (the MEK will no doubt lose).

Tom,
Looks like you nailed it.

Seven Iranian Dissidents Killed at Camp Ashraf
Seven Iranian dissidents have been killed at Camp Ashraf, 60 kilometers north of Baghdad, during a surprise raid by Iraqi military and security forces on Tuesday. The camp, in Diyala Province, is run by the Iranian opposition group Mujahideen Khalq Organization (MKO). Iraqi forces have surrounded the camp and clashes are continuing for a second day. - via Uskowi on Iran

[Tom Odom]

Thanks. The fat lady has not sung as yet...

[Courtney Massengale]

Thanks. The fat lady has not sung as yet...

There is some interesting information out there about the MeK turning into a cult post-2003. This is probably going to play out more along the lines of Waco.

What's amazing is the amount of restraint the GoI is showing in dealing with the MeK. I might be a hopeless optimist, but this might mark the begining of a responsible GoI that's part of the world community.