80 militants arrested as 1.5 million people visit Karbala

Karbala: Iraq has arrested 80 Al Qaida-linked militants a general said were plotting attacks during Ashura ceremonies in Karbala, where the streets were crowded with 1.5 million visitors on Thursday.

The arrests underscored fears of violence during the 10-day rituals in the shrine city that culminate on Friday, in a key test for Iraq's security forces ahead of a complete withdrawal of American troops in a year.

Vehicle traffic inside the city, 100 kilometres south of Baghdad, was brought to a virtual standstill as visitors were made to walk to the shrines of the revered Imams Hussain and Abbas, while all visitors were searched at checkpoints.

"Based on intelligence, soldiers were able to raid 14 terrorist cells and arrest 80 militants," General Othman Al Ganemi said at a news conference on Wednesday evening, noting that they belonged to a group called the "Boys of Heaven", an Al Qaida-linked group.

"They were planning to attack pilgrims on Friday," added Ganemi, the Iraqi army commander responsible for security in five provinces including Karbala.

Provincial governor Amal Al Din Al Har said that 1.5 million visitors had already entered Karbala for the commemorations. He added that a total of two million were expected by today, including 100,000 foreign visitors.

Karbala police spokesman Major Alaa Abbas said that no incidents had taken place in the city, and said the heavy security would remain until visitors were on their way home following the ceremonies.

Around 28,000 soldiers and police are currently securing Karbala, with a further 7,000 available if needed.

This year marks the first time Iraqi troops will be solely responsible for the ceremonies' security. While US troops have not provided ground forces for Ashura in several years, they have helped with surveillance and reconnaissance.

Ashura has in previous years been a target for Sunni Arab extremists, who see the 10-day ceremonies as symbolically highlighting the split between Islam's two main communities.

A roadside bomb in the middle of a west Baghdad Shiite procession killed 10 worshippers on Tuesday. A total of 17 visitors have been killed since the beginning of the rituals on December 8.

And in neighbouring Iran, a suicide bomber blew himself up at a Shiite procession on Wednesday in the city of Chahbahar, killing 33 people, in an attack claimed by the Sunni rebel group Jundallah.

The deadliest Ashura attacks were in March 2004, when near-simultaneous bombings at a Shiite mosque in Baghdad and in Karbala killed more than 170 people.

"Everything right now inside Karbala is good," said 40-year-old Kadhim Hussain, a pilgrim from the southern port city of Basra.