Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency on Sunday, Lieutenant Commander of Iraq’s Sayyid al-Shohada Battalions Hassan Abdel Hadi said about 10,000 volunteer forces have made efforts to ensure security of the ceremonies held on the 15th day of the eighth month (Sha’ban) in the Islamic lunar calendar.
He said Iraq is experiencing critical conditions, like the ongoing war against Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) terrorist group.
However, the commander added, Iraqi Shiites have been actively holding religious rituals, including celebrations marking the birth anniversary of Imam Mahdi (AS) on Sunday.
Hassan Abdel Hadi went on to say that this year in Karbala and Najaf governorates, the volunteer forces have been helping army troops to provide security of the ceremonies.
Iraq has been facing the growing threat of terrorism, mainly posed by the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group.
Daesh militants made swift advances in much of northern and western Iraq over the summer of 2014, after capturing large swaths of northern Syria.
However, a combination of concentrated attacks by the Iraqi military and the volunteer forces, who rushed to take arms after top Iraqi cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani issued a fatwa calling for fight against the militants, has blunted the edge of Daesh offensive.