TEHRAN - Iran is going to provide air defense coverage for the upcoming Arba’een pilgrimage.

“(Iran’s) integrated air defense network will provide full defense coverage for the Arba’een ritual pilgrims on their way to and from (Karbala),” Khatamolanbia Air Defense Base Commander Farzad Esmaili said on Sunday, Fars reported.
Last year, the city of Karbala, where Imam Hussein (AS), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, is buried, saw some 20 million pilgrims from various countries on Arba’een as the world’s most crowded gathering on record.

The ritual has found special significance since Daesh has occupied some parts of the Iraqi territory.

SP/P