Tens of thousands of Iraqi Shi’ites have arrived in Karbala in the past few days ahead of tomorrow’s holiday "A-Ziyara A-Sh’abaniyya" (Birthday of the Rightly Guided Imam). Iraqi security forces are taking strong security measures to prevent terror attacks, the London-based daily Al-Hayyat reported.
A large number of checkpoints were placed on the main road leading from Baghdad to Karbala, 60 miles south of the capital Baghdad All the roads inside Karbala, which are expected to be used by the visitors coming to celebrate, were closed for vehicles fearing car bombs.
More than a million visitors are expected to arrive in Karbala to celebrate the Shi’ite holiday. Although police chiefs are making confident announcements regarding their preparations, Iraqi observers believe a terror attack is almost a foregone conclusion.
Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been killed in the past four years since the U.S.-led allies invaded the country and ousted Saddam Hussein’s regime. Most were killed as a result of sectarian strife.