TEHRAN – Habibollah Sayyari, the deputy army chief for coordination affairs, says the army has employed military drones at the Iraq borders to ensure the security of Iranian pilgrims visiting Iraq for the Arbaeen march.

“The army is closely watching all [Iran-Iraq] borders through different methods to ensure the borders’ security,” Mehr on Sunday quoted Rear Admiral Sayyari as saying.

He added that the Army has been providing other services to the pilgrims as well.

The Arbaeen march, which is the largest religious gathering in the world, comes 40 days after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hussein (PBUH), the second Imam of Shia Muslims and the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Each year, millions of people travel on foot to Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hossein is located, to perform mourning rituals.

Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli predicted last week that more than three million Iranians would visit Karbala, which hosts the Shrine of Imam Hussein, (AS), to mark Arbaeen this year, which falls on October 19.

Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on September 18 that “the Arbaeen march is an extraordinary phenomenon not only in our era but also throughout history.”

He added, “We cannot find such a gathering and movement that takes place every year more enthusiastically than the previous years.”

Meanwhile, Iraq has been the scene of ongoing protests in recent days.

According to Press TV, demonstrations erupted on Tuesday over unemployment and poor public services, with some protesters arguing that they deserve a better life since they are living in a country with some of the world’s largest energy resources.

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the top Shia cleric of Iraq, has urged security forces and protesters to avoid violence, expressing sorrow over some sporadic unrest that has led to several casualties.

“It is sorrowful there have been so many deaths, casualties, and destruction” from clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces in recent days, Ayatollah Sistani said in a letter Friday.

MH/PA