In Jurf al-Sakhr, a region located approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Baghdad, which was liberated from the Islamic State (IS) by the Iraqi army on Oct. 25, there is a 45-kilometer-long (28-mile) trench that was dug by Babil’s provincial government on Feb. 21, 2014.

This trench separates the Shiite-majority city of Karbala (108 kilometers [67 miles] southwest of Baghdad) from the Sunni-majority city of Amiriyat al-Fallujah (40 kilometers [25 miles] west of Baghdad), in order to prevent IS members from infiltrating regions south of Baghdad. This trench is nine meters (29.5 feet) wide and eight meters (26 feet) deep, and is supplied by control towers and security cameras. In a visit to this trench, Al-Monitor met with Shiite soldier Ali al-Yasiri, who described the trench as “a two-meter-deep [6.5-foot] groove that cuts through agricultural land, as well as some barren land.” He noted that “the trench is necessary to protect the holy city of Karbala,” which is home to the shrines of Imams Hussein and Abbas. The shrines are two of the holiest Shiite pilgrimage sites in the world, and are visited by hundreds of thousands of Iranians annually.

The deputy head of the Shiite Endowments, Sami al-Masoudi, said Dec. 13 that the number of foreign pilgrims in 2014 reached 1.5 million visitors, mainly from Bahrain, Turkey, Europe and Saudi Arabia.

Suhaila Abbas, a member of the Babil provincial council, confirmed Yasiri’s statements. She told Al-Monitor, “The trench [was dug] to protect the residents of Jurf al-Sakhr and the city of Karbala from IS attacks.” She described IS as a “terrorist group” that seeks to “destroy the holy sites of Iraq’s Shiites.”