The Iraqi army seized control on Tuesday of the main base for Iran’s main armed opposition in exile after months of a tense standoff, military officials said. The storming of Camp Ashraf, which was disarmed by the United States in 2003 and surrounded by American forces until recently, coincided with a visit to Iraq by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates. The offensive, which one police source said left 15 people wounded, came after the People’s Mujahedeen said it was ready to return to Iran if the authorities there would guarantee its members would not be abused.
