Karbala most exposed to attack ahead of Arbaeen, lawmaker warns

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Karbala is the most vulnerable province to attack as millions of pilgrims prepare for the Arbaeen commemoration, a member of parliament's Foreign Relations Committee warned Wednesday, as US-Saudi strikes killed 20 PMF members and wounded 32 others.

"The goal of those behind these attacks is to undermine religious and doctrinal projects, foremost among them the Arbaeen pilgrimage," Mukhtar al-Mousawi, a lawmaker from the Badr parliamentary bloc led by Hadi al-Amiri, told Shafaq News.

Official responses to recent strikes have been limited to statements of condemnation without practical measures matching the scale of the security challenges, al-Mousawi said, adding that protecting Iraqi sovereignty requires more effective steps.

“The government possesses the technical and security capabilities to monitor airspace, making it unreasonable for aircraft or drones to enter without prior intelligence.”

Read more: 20 PMF members killed, 32 wounded in attacks across Iraq