Tens of thousands of Shiite pilgrims made their way on foot to a shrine in the north of Baghdad on Thursday for an annual ritual, hoping a curfew would prevent a repeat of mass deaths of the past two years.
According to Reuters, police said there were no reports of violence by 9:00 a.m. (0500 GMT). Al-Furat television showed pictures of thousands of pilgrims in front of the walls of the gold-domed shrine of Imam Mussa al-Kazim, a Shiite martyr who was imprisoned and poisoned in Baghdad 1200 years ago.
Crowds waved green flags and the Iraqi standard as they massed around the mosque in the Kazimiyah neighborhood. Green coffins symbolizing the imam were carried overhead and pilgrims reached out to touch the walls. More than 1,800 Iraqi security forces were guarding the mosque complex, including 625 agents inside the shrine, officials said, according to the AP.
Police said Iraqi troops were on the streets providing extra security for pilgrims. Vehicle traffic has been banned in Baghdad since Wednesday morning to prevent car bombs.
