Shafaq News- Karbala (Updated at 21:55)
The funeral procession of lateIranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei began in Iraq’s Karbala on Wednesdayevening, with large crowds and senior Iraqi and Iranian officials inattendance, Shafaq News correspondent reported.
The procession started from SayyidJawda Square in central Karbala, passing through Al-Abbas Street toward theprovincial headquarters before heading to the Qibla Gate of the Imam HusseinShrine.
Khamenei’s body is set to enter theshrine for visitation rites and a farewell prayer led by Sheikh Abdul MahdiAl-Karbalai, the official representative of Iraq’s top Shia religiousauthority, before moving through the area between the two shrines toward theAl-Abbas Shrine for further ceremonies.
The convoy reached the outskirts ofKarbala in the afternoon after moving slowly along the Najaf-Karbala road,where residents repeatedly gathered to greet the procession with chants,forcing several stops and delaying the start of the ceremony, which had beenscheduled for around 8 p.m. local time.
Khamenei’s body arrived in Karbalaafter funeral ceremonies began earlier in Najaf under tight security, where theturnout surpassed 3.8 million mourners, according to official figures. ThePopular Mobilization Commission (PMC) later estimated that more than fourmillion people had gathered in Karbala for the procession, describing thefigure as preliminary.
After the Karbala ceremonies, thebody is scheduled to return to Najaf International Airport before beingtransferred to Iran’s Mashhad, where burial is planned at the Imam Reza Shrineon July 9.
