CAMP HURRIYA, IRAQ – A rocket attack that killed at least three persons and injured several others Friday in Iraq was condemned by the United States and a United Nations agency for refugees.
The attack was at Camp Hurriya, part of an attack on the Baghdad International Airport Zone. The camp is home to Iranian refugees. The attack reportedly killed three and injured others in the camp. At least four camp residents who sustained serious injuries were reportedly rushed to hospitals in Baghdad by the Iraqi authorities.
Camp Hurriya has already been hit on multiple occasions. Camp New Iraq (formerly Ashraf), where residents were previously staying, was also the target of an attack in the past.
The United States condemned in the strongest terms the rocket attack, which also injured Iraqi police officers. “Our condolences go out to the families of the victims and we hope for the swift recovery of those injured,” the U.S. State Department said in a statement.
The United States said it is committed to assisting the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the relocation of all Camp Hurriya residents to a permanent and safe location outside of Iraq. “We call on more countries to assist in responding to this urgent humanitarian situation by welcoming camp residents for relocation, as Albania has admirably done over this past year, and by contributing to the fund established by the United Nations to support their resettlement.”
The U.S. called on the Iraqi government (GOI) to take additional measures to secure the camp against further violence, “including by immediately installing additional protective barriers, such as bunkers and t-walls. We also call on the GOI to continue to honor its obligations under its December 25, 2011 agreement with the UN and urge the Iraqi Government to find the perpetrators and hold them accountable for the attack.”
