Dozens of Iranian pilgrims injured while trying to enter Iraq

By Syed Zafar Mehdi

TEHRAN, Iran (AA) - Dozens of Iranian pilgrims have been injured in a stampede at the border crossing in the southwestern Khuzestan province while attempting to cross into Iraq.

According to witnesses and reports in Iranian media, the incident took place on late Saturday as hundreds of stranded pilgrims forced their way into Iraq at Shalamcheh border town.

The pilgrims were headed to the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala for the annual Arbaeen pilgrimage.

There has been no official confirmation yet from the Iranian authorities, but videos shared online showed a large number of Iranian pilgrims forcing the border gates open even as Iraqi border guards attempted to hold them back.

In the ensuing chaos, at least 35 pilgrims were injured, including women and children, according to reports. There are also unconfirmed reports about deaths of some pilgrims.

In the wake of COVID-19 pandemic, the Iraqi government had allowed only 60,000 Iranian pilgrims for the Arbaeen pilgrimage this year, who were advised to travel by air with legal travel documents.

All border points between the two neighboring countries were closed and pilgrims were asked by the Iranian authorities not to take the land route.

However, hundreds of pilgrims made their way to the Shalamcheh border town in recent days, some without legal documents, according to official sources.

With gates effectively closed, they remained stranded at the border terminal.

Early on Saturday, the border at Shalamcheh was opened conditionally for a limited number of pilgrims holding valid visas, vaccination cards and negative PCR test results.

Officials said many of them — among around 200 people allowed — were Iraqi nationals and Iranians with Iraqi residency permit.

As the gates were thrown open, the wave of pilgrims who were stranded there for days forced their way to the Iraqi side, which prompted the Iraqi officials to hold them back by force, witnesses told Anadolu Agency.

In the chaos and stampede that followed, many pilgrims sustained injuries and were shifted to local hospitals.

- COVID-19 restrictions

Arbaeen marks the culmination of 40-day Muharram mourning rituals. The annual event sees millions of foreign pilgrims, mostly Iranians, converging in Iraq for one week.

However, the COVID-19 pandemic has since last year disrupted the annual event, promoting the Iraqi government to allow only 80,000 foreign pilgrims this year, 60,000 of them from Iran.

During his visit to Tehran earlier this month, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi promised to "accept as many as possible" pilgrims for Arbaeen, while acknowledging the challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic.

However, it was decided that no pilgrim would be allowed through Shalamcheh, Chazabeh or Mehran border crossings.