Two million Muslim pilgrims ending annual hajj

Two million Muslim pilgrims begin leaving the holy city of Mecca on Monday, concluding the annual hajj during which Saudi leaders lashed out at Islamic extremism.
The faithful will symbolically stone the devil for a third day in the Mina Valley before many move to nearby Mecca.
There, they will circumambulate the holy cube-shaped Kaaba before returning home having reached the spiritual peak of their lives.
The hajj, one of the world’s largest religious festivals, this year drew believers from 163 nations.
Some of the faithful will remain until Tuesday, officially the last day of hajj.
“I wish I could always stay here and not return home,” said an Indonesian pilgrim who gave her name only as Umm Mohammed, 58, speaking in Arabic.
This year’s hajj attracted just over two million domestic and foreign believers, including almost 1.4 million from abroad, according to the official SPA news agency.