20,000 cops to protect pilgrims in Diala

DIALA / IraqiNews.com: A total of 20,000 policemen have been deployed in Diala to protect Shiite pilgrims heading to the holy province of Karbala, a local source said on Tuesday. The measures come one day after a female bomber blew herself up among a crowd of Shiite pilgrims who were heading to Karbala in Bob al-Sham area, northern Baghdad, killing 41 and wounding 106 others, according to latest figures. The pilgrims were heading on foot to the holy Shiite city of Karbala to celebrate the Arbaeen. The Arbaeen is a religious occasion marking the 40 th day after the death of Imam al-Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson and the third holiest figure for Shiite Muslims, in the battle of Taf in Karbala in the Hegira year 61 (680 in the Gregorian calendar). Meanwhile, two explosive charges were defused on a main road in al-Khalis district (15 km north of Baghdad), according to the same source. Baaquba, the capital city of Diala province, lies 57 km northeast of Baghdad. SS (P) 1