Iraqi forces on high alert for Arbaeen pilgrimage

Shafaq News/ On Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani ordered the security forces from the Ministries of Defense and Interior, as well as the Intelligence, National Security, and Popular Mobilization Forces, to enter a maximum alert status (C) until the conclusion of the Arbaeen pilgrimage, as per a security source.

Government spokesman Haidar Majid revealed earlier today that “all state institutions in Iraq had entered a state of readiness to ensure the success of the Arbaeen pilgrimage,” stating that “there was an extensive mobilization of government resources for the million-person Arbaeen pilgrimage, which includes enhanced efforts at border crossings and increased staff numbers at passport and immigration offices, along with additional computers and entry points for pilgrims.”

Notably, Shiite Muslims commemorate Arbaeen 40 days after Ashura, which marks the martyrdom of Imam Hussein and his companions in the Battle of Karbala against the forces of the Umayyad Caliph Yazid I in 680 AD.