Mortar Shells Kill One near Karbala
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - A barrage of mortar shells has killed one person near Karbala in Iraq as millions of Shiites are gathering in the holy city to commemorate Arbaeen, police said.
“There were one person killed and four wounded when mortar rounds hit an area on the western side of the city” shortly after midnight, a police colonel said on Friday.
The mortar rounds landed in an area called Souk al-Basra, around seven kilometers from the city center.
According to the police official, the victims were residents and not pilgrims.
The toll was also confirmed by medical sources in the holy city.
Shiite pilgrims are rushing to Karbala to attend the mourning rituals of Arbaeen, which marks the 40th day after the anniversary of the martyrdom of the third Shiite imam, Imam Hussein (PBUH), the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
This year’s Arbaeen falls on December 13, Press TV reported.
Meanwhile, Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi said on Thursday that more than 17 million pilgrims had come to Karbala for Arbaeen, which sees one of the largest religious gatherings in the world.
Iraqi forces have tightened security to protect pilgrims against terrorist attacks ahead of the mourning rituals.
Imam Hussein (PBUH) and 72 of his loyal companions, including family members, were martyred on Ashura, the tenth day of the lunar month of Muharram, in the battle of Karbala against the second Umayyad caliph, Yazid I, in 680. Imam Hussein was martyred after he refused to pledge allegiance to the tyrant ruler.
