Millions of Shia pilgrims gather in Karbala for Arbaeen march

KARBALA, Iraq — Millions of Shia Muslims converged on the central Iraqi city of Karbala for the annual Arbaeen commemoration, filling main roads and the city center with one of the world's largest annual pilgrimages. The march marks the 40th day after the killing of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Hussein and his companions at Karbala in the 7th century, a central observance in Shia Islam. Iraq's Interior Ministry said it had tightened security checks at the city's entry and exit points and deployed helicopters and drones to monitor the routes. Hundreds of thousands of volunteers lined the roads to distribute water, food and medical assistance to pilgrims walking toward the holy shrines. Karbala's Health Directorate set up numerous medical stations and field hospitals along the routes, with rapid-response teams on standby for emergencies. Authorities said the security and medical measures were designed to manage the mass movement of worshippers into and out of the shrine city. Arbaeen, held each year on the 20th of the Islamic month of Safar, draws pilgrims from across Iraq and the wider Shia world, many on foot after walking hundreds of kilometers from neighboring cities.