 More than 500 Iranian pilgrims were detained in Basra, Faw and Abol-Khasib by Iraq's border guards and British troops, an informed source told Fars News Agency. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the source noted that the Iranian pilgrims had illegally entered Iraq for attending "Ashura" ceremonies in Karbala's shrine of third Shiite Imam Hussein (AS) via Abadan and Arvand-Kenar waterways.
| "Of course we're pilgrims! Wanna see our Ashura swords n' Kalashnikovs?" |
According to another report, more than 60 illegal pilgrims, who tried to enter Iraq for the mourning ceremonies, were arrested by the police in Abadan and Khorramshahr. Iranian and Iraqi officials had repeatedly warned against embarking on illegal pilgrimage to Iraq. |