(Edits)

By Sami al-Jumaili

KERBALA, Iraq, Jan 18 (Reuters) - About 2.5 million people gathered in the holy Shi'ite city of Kerbala for the Ashura ritual on Friday, but some complained that strict security had kept numbers down.

Iraqi security forces have launched major operations across southern Iraq and in other areas to protect pilgrims, including vehicle curfews, 25,000 soldiers and police and the use of Iraqi surveillance aircraft for the first time.

Black-clad pilgrims have gathered in the city, 110 km (70 miles) south of Baghdad, for the 10-day event which commemorates the death in battle of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, near the city 1,300 years ago.

Hundreds of pilgrims from Gulf states, encouraged by improved security in Iraq, attended for the first time in years.

Suspected al Qaeda suicide bombers and mortar attacks killed 171 people during Ashura in Kerbala and Baghdad in 2004, while clashes between rival Shi'ite factions at a religious festival last August killed more than 50 people.

But security has improved dramatically across Iraq since last June, when an extra 30,000 U.S. troops became fully deployed, with attacks down by 60 percent.

Ashura rites, which include self-flagellation, will begin to reach their peak from about midnight (2100 GMT) on Friday.

Imam Hussein's death in 680 entrenched the schism between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims. The split still sharply divides Iraq, with tens of thousands killed in sectarian fighting since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, although violence has recently ebbed.

Kerbala governor Aqeel al-Khazali said more than 2.5 million visitors, many of them walking, had converged on Kerbala for the ritual, which was severely curtailed under Saddam Hussein.

"I'm just wondering why the government decided to impose curfews. Are they following the steps of Saddam to curb and cancel this ritual?" said pilgrim Nasir Hasani.

SAFE ENOUGH

Declining violence has allowed Iraqis to return to some semblance of normal life, as well as convincing Gulf Arab Shi'ites to come to Kerbala to observe Ashura.

"Many friends I talked to encouraged me to visit Kerbala this year because it's safe enough," said 45-year-old Hamdan Abu Mohammed, who came with a tour group from Kuwait through Iran.

Najma al-Haeil, 41, came from Bahrain with her two sisters and was happy to have reached the holy city for the first time.

"I believe Kerbala is not an Iraqi city, it is a city for all Muslims," Haeil told Reuters.

"I heard that the security situation was in disarray but when I arrived I was surprised that security is good, and I was surprised that the people received us warmly," she said.

Estimates for the number of Gulf Arab visitors were difficult to obtain. Kerbala tourism official Mohammed Saddiq al-Hir said 680 came from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Nafi abu Jabir, a tour operator from Bahrain, said he alone had brought in 250 pilgrims.

It is a difficult journey for many Gulf pilgrims, who go through Shi'ite Iran on their way to Kerbala.

Fudha al-Abtan, a 49-year-old Saudi woman who came with her husband and two sisters, said the journey had taken 10 days and cost $1,500.

"When we came to Kerbala, we expected the worst, but it's really safe," she said.

Abtan's biggest concern, echoed by many Gulf pilgrims, was that they would face questioning when they returned home, although she said the Iraqi embassy in Tehran had given them temporary documents to enter Iraq.

Kuwait's Mohammed agreed: "The issue of participating in a Shi'ite religious ritual is very sensitive in Kuwait, but we don't care because our passports will not be marked by an Iraq border stamp". (Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad; Writing by Paul Tait)

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