RABAT, July 8. /TASS/. More than four million pilgrims took part in farewell ceremonies for Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in the Iraqi holy city of Karbala, according to the command of the Shiite Popular Mobilization Forces (Al-Hashd al-Shaabi), which is helping maintain order during the mourning events.
"The number of participants in the mourning procession in holy Karbala has exceeded four million," Al-Hashd al-Shaabi said in a statement reported by the INA news agency.
Earlier, Khamenei's coffin was transferred from the Iraqi city of Najaf to Karbala. According to the latest figures cited by INA, about 3.8 million people took part in mourning processions held in Najaf on the morning of July 8.
Authorities removed the entrance gates to the Imam Hussein and Imam Abbas shrines in Karbala to eliminate bottlenecks for the crowds of mourners. Representatives from various Iraqi provinces, as well as delegations from numerous Arab countries and regional and international organizations that had been unable to attend the farewell ceremony in Iran, traveled to Karbala to pay their respects.
According to the Religious Affairs Committee of Karbala Province, after the mourning ceremonies conclude, Khamenei's coffin will be returned to Najaf and then transported to Iran. Available information indicates that the coffin will be flown from Najaf International Airport to Mashhad on a special flight scheduled to depart between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. local time.
