The Commander of Baghdad Operations, Lieutenant General Ahmed Salim, announced today, Thursday, the details of the security plan for the Arbaeen visit, consisting of three stages, and while he indicated that it had entered into force, he confirmed that there were no road cuts so far.
Salim said, according to the official agency (Iraqi News Agency): “The Baghdad Operations Command and the sectors attached to it have embarked on a plan for the Arbaeen pilgrimage, to protect visitors heading to the holy governorate of Karbala, whether on foot or by vehicles, as well as securing processions, mosques, hussainiyas and sector of responsibility, and on the roads of movement of visitors, starting from 6 am yesterday, Wednesday, August 30, until the end of the visit.
He added, "The preparations for securing the Arbaeen visit began early and are in three phases. The first phase included preparations that were in two parts. The first part is service by holding meetings with procession owners with security checks, organizing their work and providing them with official approvals issued by our headquarters, as well as communicating with service departments such as electricity and health departments, departments of the Ministry of Transport and the Municipality of Baghdad, to assign them and carry out the tasks entrusted to them within an integrated service plan, in addition to implementing several practices to open up sectors before starting the implementation of the plan, to identify weaknesses and address them and enhance positive points.
He continued, as for "the second part of the preparations, the tactical part, which we started with as of August 21 through the holding sectors, where the commanders of the brigades in the Karkh and Rusafa sectors carried out pre-emptive operations in the Baghdad belt and within the city of Baghdad through inspections and the implementation of arrest warrants issued against the defendants, especially with regard to Article (1/4) of terrorism or various legal articles.
He pointed out, "Baghdad Operations Command carried out a large campaign in the capital, relying on accurate intelligence information provided to them by the intelligence agencies and agencies operating within the sector of responsibility, where some important targets against whom arrest warrants were issued in accordance with Article (1/4) of terrorism were arrested, in addition to inspecting hotels, parking garages, and others, to secure protection for the Arbaeen visit.
He stated, "The second stage of the preparations is the stage of implementing the plan, where the axes for the movement of visitors were seized, the inspection filters for people and vehicles were opened, and the axes were secured in depth and on the main roads, as well as areas of indirect fire were seized by ambushes or through the conduct of vehicle or foot patrols, in addition to coordinating with the Army Aviation Command and the Air Force Command to conduct reconnaissance flights in order to secure or achieve a safe environment for the movement of visitors.
He continued by saying: "The implementation of the tactical plan was also entrusted with the implementation of an intelligence monitoring plan, in which more than five thousand intelligence personnel in civilian clothes from all agencies and intelligence agencies operating in Baghdad participated in its implementation, and more than 15 controlling headquarters for the Baghdad Operations Command were opened on the visitors' transportation routes for the purpose of facilitating the process of command and control, raising immediate positions, and taking immediate measures to deal with emergencies,” noting that “there is a special plan to secure the protection of the railway, especially the transportation of visitors by train has witnessed a clear activity in the last two years, so it is expected that the Ministry of Transport will do the same this year, by transporting thousands of pilgrims from Baghdad to the holy city of Karbala and back.”
Salim stressed, "Opening new roads for the movement of vehicles from Baghdad to the holy province of Karbala, which will contribute to preventing interference between visitors who walk with vehicles that transport visitors. It will also work to remove traffic jams, especially in the southern sector of Baghdad."
He continued, "The Baghdad-Doura highway has been opened towards Yusufiya International Road, as well as ring road of al-Mahmudiyah towards Sayed Abdullah area and then to Fadhiliya Bridge on the Euphrates River, which leads outside the sector of Baghdad's responsibility to Jurf al-Nasr area, in addition to opening the old road of Baghdad -Al-Hillah - from Qamishli Junction to Al-Fadhiliya Bridge," pointing out that "these three roads will contribute greatly to removing bottlenecks and facilitating the movement of visitors from Baghdad to the holy city of Karbala and vice versa."
He pointed out, "The Baghdad Operations Command has been reinforced with additional units from the Army Chief of Staff, size of a brigade, as well as from the Popular Mobilization Commission, which opened its sectors on the axes and roads of the visitors' movement, to strengthen the holding sectors of the Baghdad Operations Command."
He indicated that "the third and final stage is the end of the visit and the return of the visitors to the city of Baghdad, and it is expected that its implementation will begin on September 6. A detailed plan has been developed to ensure a safe and flexible return for the visitors, as well as securing the holy city of Kadhimiya, where it is expected that after the end of the Arbaeen visit, a large number of visitors, especially foreigners, will head to the holy city of Kadhimiya to perform the visit ceremonies, so all measures have been taken to implement the return plan.
Salim stressed, "There is no road cutting so far within the plan, but there are immediate measures that will be taken according to the development of the road situation in which there is a density of visitors, especially those walking on foot, so the cutting is done to secure protection for them," noting, "There are flexible orders issued to the leadership of Al-Karkh and Al-Rusafa operations, we can, if we see the number of visitors decrease during certain hours, the road will be opened so that we can pull the largest number of vehicles, and reduce traffic congestion, but there is no cutting in any road so far.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency
