Iraq to limit number of religious pilgrims

The Iraqi Parliament announced yesterday that it “would propose limiting the number of foreign visitors coming to visit Shia holy shrines to avoid future security incidents”.

Member of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Iraqi Parliament, Methal Al-Alusi, told the Anadolu Agency: “The Foreign Relations Committee in the Iraqi Parliament will call to limit the number of foreign visitors to the holy sites similar to what Saudi Arabia does during Hajj season;” noting that “large numbers of visitors need better services, and protection.”

Al-Alusi explained that both the Iranian and Iraqi authorities failed to handle the more than half a million Iranians who stormed the Zurbatiyah border crossing.

Yesterday, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs protested to Iran’s Ambassador to Baghdad, Hassan Danaii, saying his country’s authorities allowed Iranian pilgrims to enter Iraq without obtaining visas to visit Shia shrines.

The incident caused anger within Iraqi political and popular circles which described it as “a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty by a neighbouring state”.

The Iraqi Interior Minister, Mohammed Al-Ghabban, announced earlier last month that “the security services at the border crossing points will prevent any foreign visitors from entering Iraq without a visa.”