Alwaght- This year's Arbaeen is being observed in Iraq's holy cities of Karbala and Najaf while the US imposed war on Iran has immersed the region in growing insecurity. Reports suggest that though the war and instability have influenced the world's largest religious congregation this year, it has not forced its cancelation.
Meanwhile, Iranian and Iraqi governments and popular organizations are trying to ensure full security through enhancing security arrangements.
Massive security forces deployment
Iraq’s Joint Operations Command has rolled out a multilayered security plan for the global Arbaeen pilgrimage, deploying army units, federal police, counterterrorism forces, Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) personnel, and intelligence agencies along the main routes to Karbala, Najaf, Baghdad, Babylon, and Diyala.
Hundreds of fixed and mobile checkpoints have been set up on roads leading to Karbala to screen for suspicious vehicles or armed operatives, while aerial surveillance, using drones and helicopters, has been stepped up to track the movement of millions of pilgrims.
Around-the-clock joint operations rooms are now running in coordination between security forces and provincial governments.
In past years, the primary threat was attacks by ISIS terrorist organization. But this year, with regional conflicts escalating, concerns have shifted to possible drone strikes, missile fire, or sabotage operations. According to the Al-Malouma news, air defense systems and electronic warfare gear have been deployed around key facilities, and unauthorized drone flights have been banned near shrine cities. Security forces have also tightened monitoring of explosive depots and drone workshops.
Special protection for routes
Beyond the shrine cities themselves, the Iraqi government has zeroed in on protecting the pilgrimage routes. Thousands of makeshift service stations, known as mawakib, line the path from Najaf to Karbala, and any strike along that corridor could inflict mass casualties. To mitigate that risk, the walking routes have been carved into sectors, each placed under the watch of a designated security command.
Emergency vehicles, fire trucks, and ambulance units are stationed at close intervals, while bomb-disposal teams are continuously sweeping the paths for explosives, according to field reports.
But the security clampdown also carries a political message. With regional military tensions flaring and recent attacks rattling the country, Baghdad is signaling that it can still safeguard the world’s largest religious gathering, and that it will not allow outside conflicts to upend the Arbaeen rites or the millions of Iraqi and foreign pilgrims who converge for them.
Massive numbers of pilgrims continue to flow to Iraq
War has not stopped pilgrims from traveling to Iraq for this massive congregation. According to security institutions in Iraq, over 2.8 million foreign pilgrims hace already crossed the borders into Iraq and that the security and service programs are still unfolding.
Arbaeen Command and Control Center, operating under the national security information unit, reported that as of last night, 2,887,305 pilgrims had entered the country, and the flow continues.
In a statement, the center said it is pressing ahead with its integrated security and service plan for the pilgrimage, coordinating across all security agencies, service departments, and support bodies. The effort, it added, has the direct backing of the prime minister and commander in chief, with the goal of securing pilgrim movement and maximizing throughput at border crossings and major highways.
The updated tally covers arrivals from the start of the Islamic month of Muharram through last night, with numbers still climbing.
The center stressed that security units and support agencies, under the oversight of the Higher Committee for Mass Gatherings, are executing their field missions according to established protocols. Service and crowd-management measures, it said, are being ramped up in lockstep with the surging pilgrim count, all to ensure a safe, stable, and smooth passage for worshippers throughout the observance.
In other words, though war has pushed up security costs, damaged parts of service infrastructure, and inflamed security concerns, it has not disrupted the arrangements or stopped massive flow into Iraq. The Iraqi government and armed and security forces are implementing special plans to make sure this annual religion congregation will be held without least disruptions.
