Heavy visitor traffic reported at Shalamcheh border crossing toward Karbala

BASRA, Iraq — Authorities at the Shalamcheh border crossing in Basra said large numbers of visitors are entering from Iran, with the facility operating without disruption. Crossing director Major General Ali al-Maliki said staff are on hand to oversee the inflow and outflow of visitors and that no problems have been reported in either passenger or cargo movement. Multiple Hussainiyah mourning processions have been set up at the crossing to provide services to arriving visitors, according to al-Maliki. Organizers of the processions are coordinating closely with border management to distribute food and drinks and to ease the passage of vehicles heading toward Najaf and Karbala. Officials said the crossing's new administrative arrangements were completed with the support of Basra Governor Asaad al-Idani, head of the Basra Provincial Council's Border Crossings Committee Aqeel al-Faraji, and Border Crossings Authority head Omar al-Waili. All security and service units at Shalamcheh have been mobilized to prevent congestion during passport processing, the statement added.