RIYADH, Jan 15: Saudi Arabia has deployed more than 50,000 security men for the annual Haj pilgrimage as more than 1.5 million pilgrims continued to converge on the holy city of Makkah, an interior ministry spokesman said on Saturday.

"More than 50,000 security men are taking part in (implementing) the plan to secure Haj," Brig Mansur al-Turki told AFP.