Iran Border Police Geared Up for Arbaeen Season
TEHRAN (Basirat) : Iran’s Border Police commander said his forces are geared up to ensure the security of pilgrims planning to travel to Iraq for the Arbaeen mourning ceremony later this month.
In comments on Wednesday, Brigadier General Qassem Rezaei said the Border Police
troops are fully prepared to protect and ensure security of people at the common
borders with Iraq at the annual congregation of Muslim pilgrims in commemoration
of Arbaeen.
The commander said the Border Police forces would handle the security of
travelers at the land border crossings of Mehran, Shalamcheh and Chazzabeh, west
of Iran.
The number of pilgrims crossing Iran-Iraq border during this year’s Arbaeen
season is predicted to rise by 20 to 30 percent, General Rezaei noted.
He finally assured the Iranians of the continuing dominance of Border Police
forces along the frontiers, stressing that full security prevails at all border
areas of Iran.
Arbaeen, which is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, comes 40
days after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of the third Shiite Imam, Imam
Hussein (AS).
Each year, a huge crowd of Shiites flock to the Iraqi city of Karbala, where the
holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) is located, to perform mourning rites.
Iranian pilgrims travelling to Iraq by land can choose from three border
crossings, Shalamcheh, Chazzabeh and Mehran.
This year’s Arbaeen falls on October 30.
Source:Tasnim
