Iraqi Federal Police Chief Reassures Arbaeen Pilgrims Amid Security Measures

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, Major General Staff Mohammed Qasim Al-Fahd, Chief of Iraq’s Federal Police, stated that all pilgrims traveling to the holy city of Karbala for the Arbaeen ceremony can be assured that there is nothing to cause them worry or fear. He emphasized that recent attacks targeting some Hashd al-Shaabi headquarters have no connection to the pilgrim routes.

Al-Fahd confirmed that the special security plan for the Arbaeen ceremony is being implemented as scheduled, with all routes leading to Karbala under security coverage. Service facilities, catering caravans, and medical teams are deployed along the entire route.

He further elaborated that the Federal Police are contributing to medical services through ambulances and are also assisting with transportation by utilizing buses and minibuses for pilgrim transit. Additionally, engineering units are involved in opening routes, preparing grounds, and establishing parking areas for vehicles carrying pilgrims.

The Chief of Federal Police concluded by noting that no incidents or security breaches have been recorded during the ongoing ceremony.

Meanwhile, Mahmoud Taha Mahmoud, Director of the Al-Sheib (Chazabeh) border crossing, announced that the flow of pilgrims through this border point continues. He reported that to date, 21,293 pilgrims have entered Iraq via this crossing, while 7,884 have exited.

Mahmoud Taha explained that the majority of these pilgrims are Iranian, but 82 Pakistani pilgrims also entered Iraq through this crossing, with no Pakistani pilgrims having exited yet. He also stated that the number of Afghan pilgrims reached 67, with two having departed Iraq. Pilgrims from other countries totaled 22 arrivals and 5 departures through the Al-Sheib crossing.