This is what happens when the government disarms people: Iranian dissidents face repeated attacks from Iraq, their supposed protectors

US officials promised them protection if they disarmed, then turned them over to the Iraqis.

US must honor its promise to protect Camp Liberty residents, Ex-US Governor demands

NCRI - The United States must honor its promise to protect the residents of Camp Liberty and transfer them out of Iraq to a place of safety, the former US Governor of Pennsylvania has demanded.

Ed Rendell - also the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee - said when the US handed over protection of Liberty in 2009, 'all hell broke loose'.

And he described asking Iraq to investigate rocket attacks against the camp as like 'asking Al Capone to investigate the St Valentine's Massacre'.

He told a mass gathering of the Iranian Resistance in Paris on June 22: "The United States government over a decade ago signed a contract with each and every one of the residents of Ashraf and Liberty saying that if they disarmed we would protect them. And for six years that worked well.

"But then the US government turned over security to the Iraqi government, and all hell broke loose. In 2009, that government, the Maliki's government's own forces attacked the people of Ashraf.

"A bloody, deadly attack. And the State Department issues a statement condemning the attack, but nothing changed.

"In 2011, it happened again. Another bloody, brutal attack with the government Iraq federal police using US vehicles and US weapons."

The United Nations and the US State Department then misled the Iranian dissidents by persuading them to leave Ashraf for Liberty, Mr. Rendell said.

He added: "We told them that the UN and the US and the government of Iraq guaranteed their safety at Liberty. Let the record show we misled them. There's been no attempt to guarantee their safety.

"In fact, the opposite is true. The government of Iraq has prevented them from taking common sense safety measures: t-walls, protective armor to protect themselves.

"And again, death has resulted. We saw an attack in February, a rocket attack in February. And when the rocket attack happened the State Department issued a statement condemning the attack and calling on the government of Iraq to investigate.

"Colonel Wes Martin said to me, 'Asking the government of Iraq to investigate those rocket attacks would be like asking the gangster Al Capone to investigate the St. Valentine's Massacre that his people did in Chicago'.

"It's a joke. We know who sponsored those attacks. The Iraqi government and the Iran government are the sponsors of the attacks on Liberty. And if that isn't enough to cause the United States to act, I don't know what is.

"But the residents of Ashraf and Liberty have the word of the United States government, a legally binding contract that we would protect them.

"We have no choice and we're going to make this as clear as can be to the State Department or we're going to keep banging and banging until it gets done.

"We have no choice but to live up to our obligation, the United States of America, and get these people out of Iraq to safety. They are strong, they are steadfast, they've sacrificed a lot. It is our duty as Americans to do this. We gave our word, let's honor our word."