Iraq Opens Borders to Afghan, Pakistani Arbaeen Pilgrims
Mehdi al-Fakiki, an advisor to the Iraqi interior minister revealed the news on Thursday, noting that Baghdad’s green light came in response to a request made by Iran.
Earlier, Iraq announced that people coming from Afghanistan and Pakistan should enter the country only by air.
Some 20 million people are expected to participate in this year’s Arbaeen procession in Iraq.
The Arbaeen mourning ceremony is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world.
It marks the 40th day after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), Imam Hussein (AS). This year’s Arbaeen falls on September 17.
Each year, a huge crowd of Shias flock to Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) is located, to perform mourning rites.
The pilgrims, mainly from Iraq and Iran, travel long routes on foot to the holy city.
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