Iraq to Host 3 Million Iranians for Arbaeen

Date: 29 September 2019 - 22:47

News ID: ۷۱۱۰۱

TEHRAN (Dispatches) – Up to three million Iranian pilgrims are expected to visit Iraq for the Arbaeen procession this year, Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said on Sunday.
Speaking to reporters during a visit to the Mehran border crossing, Rahmani Fazli said arrangements have been made to provide services for more than three million pilgrims travelling to Iraq to perform the mourning rituals.
Arbaeen, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, comes 40 days after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of the third Shia Imam.
Each year, a huge crowd of pilgrims flock to the Iraqi city of Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) is located, to perform mourning rites.
In August, Iran and Iraq signed an agreement in Tehran to reopen the Khosravi border crossing and remove visa restrictions for Iranian Arbaeen pilgrims.
Iran and Iraq also agreed to raise the level of services and facilities for the pilgrims and enhance border security during the Arbaeen season, which will culminate in a large gathering in Karbala on October 19.
On Thursday, Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Commander Major General Hossein Salami pledged that the IRGC would use all its capacities to provide services for Iranian pilgrims visiting neighboring Iraq during the Arbaeen season.
In a speech at the border city of Mehran, Major General Salami hailed the Arbaeen marches, saying the religious event is unparalleled in the world.
"Our enemies are withered and wounded today, and we are not oblivious to them,” he said, apparently referring to possible enemy attempts to undermine the security of the Arbaeen pilgrims.
"All the capacities of the IRGC will be used in line with (efforts to) stage the Arbaeen marches more gloriously than ever and the IRGC will not spare any effort to serve the pilgrims of Arbaeen,” the top commander added.