Shafaq News- Karbala
Millions of mourners are expected to gather in Iraq’s holy city ofKarbala for the funeral procession of former Iranian Supreme Leader AliKhamenei, the province’s Endowments and Religious Affairs Committee disclosedon Wednesday, citing the arrival of participants from across Iraq and abroad.
The procession is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m., starting from AbuMahdi al-Muhandis Street, passing through Republic Street before heading towardthe holy shrines in Karbala, Mohammed al-Masoudi, head of the committee, toldShafaq News. He noted that security, transportation and public servicearrangements had been completed in coordination with local authorities,security forces, religious shrines and Hussaini service groups.
“Tribes from several Iraqi provinces, along with Arab and internationaldelegations and political, religious and social figures, are among theattendees,” he added, pointing out that Hussaini service groups and the city’sholy shrines will provide food, water and other essential services astemperatures remain high.
Shafaq News footage showed public and official preparations acrossKarbala ahead of the arrival of the body. Authorities temporarily closedentrances leading to the Imam Hussein bin Ali holy shrine to prepare for thecoffin’s arrival and the ceremonial procession inside the shrine, whilesecurity measures were increased around the area.
On Tuesday evening, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi received thebodies of Khamenei and members of his family at Najaf International Airport. Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Foreign Minister AbbasAraghchi, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commander EsmailQaani, and senior Iranian officials also arrived to participate in theceremonies.
A wide range of Iraqi political, religious, tribal and community figuresattended the reception ceremony, including leaders of the Iran-aligned CoordinationFramework, the largely parliamentary bloc that governs Iraq.
Funeral processions began today in the Iraqi city of Najaf, with morethan two million mourners gathering, according to the Popular MobilizationForces (PMF) media directorate.
Khamenei was killed on February 28 in a strike on his compound incentral Tehran, ending a 37-year tenure as Iran’s supreme leader.
: Najaf mobilizes for Khamenei funeral procession