Iraq said on Wednesday it wants thousands of Iranian opposition exiles at a camp north of Baghdad to leave the country, although it does not plan to expel them by force. Iraqi forces take over responsibility for Camp Ashraf, home to 3,500 exiles of the People's Mujahideen of Iran, on January 1 as part of a bilateral deal governing the presence of US troops who guarded the camp in the past.
The US embassy said this week some US troops will remain at the camp to help Iraqi authorities protect it after it passes to Iraqi control, but the Iranian exiles say they fear Baghdad may still try to shut it and drive them out. Baghdad and Washington both consider the exiles to be a terrorist group. The exiles say they fear that the Shi'ite-led Iraqi government, which has friendly ties with Iran, might bow to Iranian pressure to crack down on them.
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