The Hill – Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is pushing Secretary of State John Kerry for details on an attack last week at a camp that houses Iranian exiles.
“As Iran’s malign involvement in Iraq grows, the security situation around Camp Liberty is increasingly dire. It is clear that immediate actions must be taken to ensure the safety and security of the residents of Camp Liberty,” McCain, who chairs the Armed Services Committee, wrote in the letter sent Wednesday.
Approximately two dozen people were killed during an attack late last month on the camp, which is located in Baghdad, with an Iran-backed militia claiming responsibility.
McCain wants the administration to hand over any information it has on the attack and the level of security at Camp Liberty. He also wants to know whether the administration is investigating the attack, including whether the Iraqi government was “complicit.”
The senator pushed Kerry to detail whether he’s working with the Iraqi government to increase security and what future actions the administration will take, including if it would be willing to provide aerial protection to the camp because of its location near the Baghdad International Airport.
He added that because of the current military conflict in Iraq, “I believe our current efforts should focus on the approximately 2,300 residents whose lives are at stake in Camp Liberty.”
McCain wants to know what the administration is doing to resettle the residents, calling the United States “ineffective, and even reluctant, in responding to our humanitarian obligations to protect the residents.”