Sending Pilgrims to Atabat Stops Due to Iraqi Elections
Nasser Khadarnejad told IQNA that the halt is due to the general elections in the neighboring country.
He said Iraqi officials have announced that airports and border crossings will be closed for two days due to security reasons.
Iraqis will go to the polls on Wednesday to elect their representatives in the parliament. The vote is Iraq’s first parliamentary elections since US forces withdrew in 2011.
Meanwhile, Takfiri groups, including the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), are reportedly coming to Iraq from neighboring Syria and Saudi Arabia to undermine security in the country.
The government in Baghdad has blamed Riyadh for the chaos in Iraq, saying Saudi Arabia is funding and arming militants fighting against Iraqi forces in the country’s western areas, including Anbar province.
Khadarnejad further said there is good security in the southern Iraqi cities, including the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf.
http://iqna.ir/fa/News/1400925
