The MEK Compound in Fallujah

Fallujah

Fallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....

, Iraq

Iraq

Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

 (also known as Camp Fallujah) is a large compound used by the U.S. Marines

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

 from 2004 to 2009. Prior to Marine occupation, the Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

ian dissident group called Mujahideen-e-Khalq

People's Mujahedin of Iran

The People's Mujahedin of Iran is a terrorist militant organization that advocates the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran....

 used the MEK as a training camp, but turned it over to the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne on May 11, 2003 after the Mujahideen-e-Khalq surrender. On March 24, 2004, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force

1st Marine Expeditionary Force

The I Marine Expeditionary Force is a Marine Air Ground Task Force of the United States Marine Corps primarily composed of the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and 1st Marine Logistics Group...

 took over the facility and used it as a base camp. On January 12, 2009, the Government of Iraq took control of the compound from the United States military. As of January 2010, the camp appears to be the headquarters of the Iraqi Army's 1st Division

1st Division (Iraq)

The 1st Division, Iraqi Army is a formation of the Army formed c.2005-2007.The 1st Division was originally formed from the battalions of the Iraqi Intervention Force....

.

The MEK is adjacent to the other major U.S. base in Fallujah, the former Baathist

Baath Party

The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was a political party mixing Arab nationalist and Arab socialist interests, opposed to Western imperialism, and calling for the renaissance or resurrection and unification of the Arab world into a single state. Ba'ath is also spelled Ba'th or Baath and means...

 resort Camp Baharia (also known as "Dreamland").

U.S. Operational Names

• 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment - MEK Compound
• 82nd Airborne - FOB
  Forward Operating Base
  A forward operating base is any secured forward military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support tactical operations. A FOB may or may not contain an airfield, hospital, or other facilities. The base may be used for an extended period of time. FOBs are traditionally supported...
  
   St. Mere
• United States Marine Corps
  United States Marine Corps
  The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
  
   - Camp Fallujah, or simply The MEK

See also

• History of the United States Marine Corps
  History of the United States Marine Corps
  The history of the United States Marine Corps began with the founding of the Continental Marines on November 10, 1775 to conduct ship-to-ship fighting, provide shipboard security and discipline enforcement, and assist in landing forces. Its mission evolved with changing military doctrine and...
  
  
• List of United States Marine Corps installations