Iraq's Supreme Committee for Mass Religious Pilgrimages has launched preparations for the annual Arbaeen pilgrimage by holding its first coordination meeting to review security, organizational, and service plans ahead of one of the world's largest religious gatherings.

According to a statement from the Security Media Cell, the meeting was chaired by Lieutenant General Qais Al-Muhammadawi, Deputy Commander of the Joint Operations Command and head of the committee, at the Joint Operations Command headquarters in Baghdad.

The meeting brought together senior officials from the Ministries of Defense and Interior, the Popular Mobilization Forces, the Baghdad and Karbala Operations Commands, the police commands of Najaf and Babylon, as well as representatives of Iraq's security and intelligence agencies.

Participants reviewed preparations for receiving millions of pilgrims from Iraq and abroad, with a particular focus on security measures, service coordination, and crowd management in the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala.

During the meeting, Al-Muhammadawi issued a series of directives aimed at strengthening coordination among security and service agencies, enhancing field operations, improving crowd management, and ensuring a safe, organized, and efficient pilgrimage throughout the Arbaeen commemorations.