Karbala draws 22M Arbaeen visitors, 5M foreign

Shafaq News- Karbala (Updated at 21:30)

More than 22 million people entered Karbala for this year's Arbaeen pilgrimage, Karbala Governor Nassif Jassim al-Khattabi said Tuesday, with around than five million of the visitors being foreign pilgrims arriving from 172 countries.

The head of the Security Media Cell, Lieutenant General Saad Maan, told a press conference that the five-million foreign-pilgrim total was the first time such a figure had been recorded for the annual commemoration, adding that no terrorist attacks occurred over the course of the pilgrimage, and more than 226,000 officers and security personnel took part in implementing the plan.

Thirty-four Iraqi pilgrims and 12 foreign pilgrims died during the pilgrimage, all in traffic accidents, according to Maan.

Najaf* Governor Youssef Kanawi also announced that more than 17 million pilgrims from Iraq and abroad have arrived in Najaf during the Arbaeen pilgrimage.

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*Najaf serves as the main gateway for the Arbaeen, with millions of worshippers gathering at the Imam Ali bin Abi Taleb Holy Shrine before continuing to Karbala to commemorate the 40th day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussein bin Ali. As a result, the vast majority of pilgrims recorded in Najaf also continue their journey to Karbala.