Shafaq News/ Millions of Shi’ites Muslims gathered at shrines and mosques in Kerbala and other parts of Iraq on Thursday to mark the climax of the annual ritual of Ashura. The eventful day went smoothly without major unwanted complications, authorities reported.

Karbala -the city that houses the Shrines of Ashura's main protagonists, Imam Hussein and his Brother Abu Fadel al-Abbas- received the largest bulk of pilgrims without registering security breaches or injuries from a stampede.

A press release by the Karbala Operations Command said that the security forces in the governorate successfully secured the rituals and provided major services to the pilgrims.

"800 security officers and members, 45 firefighting vehicles, three emergency vehicles, and many military vehicles of the Ministries of Defense and Interior and the Popular Mobilization (PMF) took part in securing the event."

The Command praised "the efforts of the health care and emergency departments in the governorate, as well as PMF commission that installed five field hospitals that provided services to the pilgrims over the past two days."

"47,628 employees and workers and 1,710 specialized vehicles were under the disposal of the pilgrims around the clock. The Ministries of Transport and Trade provided 350 and 75 vehicles, respectively, to help to transport the pilgrims."

Karbala Police Command said that 1,600 surveillance cameras were installed, and the city was divided into several sectors to maintain efficient security alert all the duration of the rituals.

Healthcare institutions continued to receive patients regularly, the Health Directorate of Karbala said, without reporting events of stampedes or asphyxia among the pilgrims.

In the capital, Baghdad, the head of the National Security Services, Abdul Ghani al-Asadi, said that the security plan laid in the city of Kadhimiyah, where thousands of pilgrims flocked to participate in Ashura rituals, went smoothly with no security breaches recorded.

Basra Operations Command said that it will lay security plans in preparation for the Arbaeeen event after completing Ashura events without major complications

Shafaq News Agency correspondents in Baghdad and other cities, indicated that the pilgrims' caravans began arriving in their homelands after completing the rituals of the 10th day of Muharram. Municipality workers began removing garbage and cleaning the roads and areas the pilgrims pass through.

"Security forces have begun to open roads that were closed earlier and life has returned to normal."