Mujahideen al-Khalq
The
Mujahideen al-Khalq is also known as the
Mujahedin-e-Khalq (
MEK), the
Mujahideen al-Khalq Organization (MKO), the
National Liberation Army of Iran (NLA),
The People's Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI), or the
National Council of Resistance (NCR). The organization, which got its start in the
1960s, is a violent guerilla group that opposes the Islamic Iranian government. Although the MEK opposed the Shah
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and participated in the
1979 Iranian Revolution, it was prohibited from taking part in the post-revolutionary government because of its
leftist leanings. The group was driven from
Iran and has operated from
Iraq since the
Iran-Iraq war began in the
1980s. Before the
2003 Invasion of Iraq, the MEK enjoyed decades of behind the scenes support from
Saddam Hussein's government.
The MEK has been officially designated as a terrorist group by both the United States and the European Commission. In early 2003, the MEK was reportedly forced by the U.S. military operating in Iraq to disarm and surrender or face destruction. While rumors continue to circulate that the MEK is being used by the United States to increase pressure on the Iranian government, there have also been rumors that the U.S. administration is secretly negotiating with Iran to trade MEK operatives captured by the U.S. for al-Qaida operatives held by Iran. [1]
In June 2003, the group had its some of its French properties raided, after suspicions that it was trying to shift its base of operations there. [1]
References