TEHRAN (Tasnim) An Iranian deputy minister said a high level of security prevails along the countrys joint borders with neighboring Iraq as some 1.5 million Iranian pilgrims have been returning home after attending religious ceremonies in Karbala.There has been no security problem along the borders, neither inside Iran nor Iraq, Iran's deputy interior minister for security and law enforcement, Hossein Zolfaghari, said in a television talk show on Sunday night.
He also acknowledged the efforts made by the Iraqi government to provide security for the pilgrims who attended the overcrowded mourning ceremonies in the Arab country on the occasion of Arbaeen, the 40th day after the martyrdom anniversary of the third Shiite Imam.
Zolfaghari said the latest official figures show around 1.5 million Iranian pilgrims travelled to Iraq to perform the mourning rituals.
One third of the travelers have returned to Iran as of Sunday, the official added, calling on the remaining pilgrims in Iraq not to rush into the borders for return, since they are legally allowed to stay in the Arab country until December 23.
He urged the pilgrims to be patient, assuring them that camps have been set up to accommodate the travelers.
More than 20 million pilgrims from all over the world gathered in Karbala to attend the mourning ceremonies marking Arbaeen, the 40th day after the anniversary of martyrdom of Imam Hussein (AS).
Each year, pilgrims, mainly from Iraq and Iran, travel long routes on foot to Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussein (AS) is located.
By Tasnim News Agency
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