The city of Karbala has been closed to vehicular traffic since Friday while over 6,000 Iraqi military and police forces are providing security for the event. In addition, private militias loyal to various Shiite clerics and political parties are also providing security at specific religious sites.
International SOS Comment
Tension is very high in Karbala as security forces attempt to prevent any outbreak of violence at the religious festival. In the last two years, Shiite religious events have been marked with chaos as insurgents conducted attacks in an effort to take advantage of disputes between Sunni and Shiite Muslims. Last month over 1,000 people were killed in Karbala when a false threat of a suicide bombing caused a massive stampede.
In the wake of the joint Coalition/Iraqi assault on Tal Afar last week, insurgent leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, declared "an all out war" against all Shiites in Iraq. There is a strong possibility of a large scale attack or several co-ordinated bombings in Karbala during the Shiite festival.
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