Clashes kill 2 protesters in Iraq’s south

By Mohamed Waleed

BAGHDAD (AA) - Two Iraqi protesters were killed and 33 others injured in clashes with security forces in the country’s southern city of Nassiriya, according to a security source.

The Iraqi security forces clashed with protesters early Thursday in an attempt to control al-Nasr and al-Zeytun bridges that are closed since last Wednesday, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

Iraq has been rocked by mass protests since early October against poor living conditions and corruption. Protesters demands later spiraled into calls for dissolving Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi's government.

According to Iraq's High Commission for Human Rights, at least 348 Iraqis have been killed and 15,000 have been injured since protests began Oct. 1.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara.