French envoy surprised at good organization of Arbaeen procession

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): France’s ambassador to Iraq expressed surprise at the good organization and management of the Arbaeen procession.

Eric Chevalier met with Iraq’s National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji in Baghdad on Sunday, Mawazin News reported.

At the meeting, he appreciated the proper organization of the Arbaeen rituals in the Arab country, which was attended by millions of pilgrims last week.

The two sides also discussed the upcoming elections in Iraq, the issue of refugees and a number of other issues.

Arbaeen, which is one of the largest religious gatherings in the world, comes 40 days after Ashura, the martyrdom anniversary of the third Shia Imam, Imam Hussein (AS).

Each year, a huge crowd of Shias flocks to the Iraqi city of Karbala, where the holy shrine of Imam Hussain (AS) is located, to perform mourning rites.

Iraqi officials estimate that more than 16 million pilgrims took part in the Arbaeen procession this year.

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