Massacre at Camp Ashraf, Statement No. 3: So Far 34 Dead, Including 8 Women, and 325 Wounded

WASHINGTON, April 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Three days after the massacre in Camp Ashraf by the Iraqi Army on the orders of Prime Minster Nouri al-Maliki, the number of defenseless residents murdered in cold blood has now reached 34, including eight women. More than 300 are wounded, with the majority suffering from major gunshot wounds.

After numerous calls by families of Camp Ashraf residents, humanitarian and human rights personalities and organizations, a U.S. medical team finally went to Ashraf to treat the wounded.

As a result of the delay in providing medical assistance, however, several of those wounded died in the past two days. This dire situation is also a result of United States' patent refusal to compel the Iraqi government to end its all out siege and medical blockade of Camp Ashraf since 2009.

Meanwhile, several injured residents who were abducted from the scene by the Iraqi Army during the massacre have died due to lack of medical care. Six other injured abductees have begun a hunger strike.

As anticipated, the Iranian regime has jubilantly praised the al-Maliki's regime for the massacre at Camp Ashraf. Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi told a Tehran press conference Saturday the Iraqi army was right to storm Camp Ashraf. And the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps urged Iraq to finish the job and destroy Camp Ashraf altogether, "otherwise the attack would backfire on Iraq."

Currently, the Iraqi forces are occupying, desecrating and looting Camp Ashraf's Pearl cemetery and are preventing the burial of the martyred residents.

At present, some 1,500 forces along with 50 armored vehicles remain inside the perimeter of Camp Ashraf and the possibility of another bloodbath looms.

The Iraqi forces have denied the United National Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI) monitoring team entry to the camp since Wednesday night.

Iraqi forces have also prevented journalists from entering Ashraf and, at least in one case, a journalist trying to interview a resident was beaten by the Iraqi forces according to CNN.

The U.S. Committee for Camp Ashraf Residents demands immediate intervention by the Obama's administration to ensure the release of those taken hostage by the Iraqi regime as well as the withdrawal of Iraqi forces from Ashraf, and to guarantee the protection of the camp by facilitating the permanent presence of UNAMI there.

SOURCE U.S. Committee for Camp Ashraf Residents (USCCAR)