Shia pilgrims converged on the Iraqi city of Najaf on Wednesday amid tight security for their first major religious ceremony since clashes between Shia militias killed 52 people in nearby Kerbala in August.
Thousands of pilgrims arrived for the event, due to begin at dusk, commemorating the killing more than 13 centuries ago of Imam Ali, Prophet Mohammad's highly revered son-in-law and first Imam of Shia Islam.
Residents of Najaf, 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, said tight security outside the city and fears of fresh violence meant that turnout was considerably lower than last year, when local officials said 3 million pilgrims attended.
Pilgrims go through three sets of checkpoints before boarding buses and minibuses with special permits that carry them into the city and drop them off 2 km (one mile) away from the shrine. Iraqi army Major-General Uthman al-Ghanimi outlined security plans that aimed to prevent mortar and rocket attacks fired from outside the city as well as close air monitoring of groups on the ground.
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