Khamenei’s burial ceremony set in Mashhad as coffin leaves Karbala

Bangla Press Desk:   The coffin carrying Iran's slain supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has left Iraq for Iran's Mashhad, where he will be buried in his hometown.

On Thursday morning, the coffin was flown there after farewell ceremonies in Najaf and Karbala.

Iranian News Agency Tasnim said millions attended the funeral prayers and farewell ceremonies in the two Iraqi holy cities, calling the turnout unprecedented.

Organisers said the coffin's departure from Karbala was delayed by several hours as huge crowds repeatedly halted the funeral procession to pay their respects.

As a result, funeral prayers scheduled for 8am local time were postponed until 2pm.

Khamenei will be buried in the courtyard of the Imam Reza Shrine after funeral prayers and final farewell ceremonies.

Tasnim said around 3.8 million people gathered around the Imam Ali Shrine and nearby streets before the coffin was taken along the Arbaeen route to Karbala.

According to the organisers, around 4,300 Iraqi and foreign journalists covered the ceremonies.

Iranian authorities sent the coffin to Najaf and Karbala for a day at the request of Iraqi religious and political leaders.

Khamenei was killed with four family members in strikes by the United States and Israel on Tehran on Feb 28, the first day of the war that spread across West Asia.

His funeral and burial were delayed because of the conflict.