BAGHDAD (AP) — The Latest on the anti-government protests in Iraq (all times local):
6:15 p.m.
Iraqi officials say four protesters and a member of the security forces have been killed in clashes in central Baghdad, where anti-government demonstrators crossed a main bridge and approached government buildings.
A security official and a medical official say another 60 people were wounded in Monday’s unrest. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.
Tens of thousands of Iraqis have demonstrated in central Baghdad and across mostly Shia southern Iraq in recent days, calling for the overthrow of the political system. The protests are fueled by anger at widespread corruption, high unemployment and poor public services.
Security forces have killed more than 250 people in two waves of protests since early October.
— Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad
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5 p.m.
Clashes have erupted on a third major bridge in central Baghdad as security forces try to keep anti-government protesters from crossing the Tigris River in the direction of the Green Zone, where the government is headquartered.
Dozens of protesters could be seen running through the streets, some of them carrying wounded people, as gunshots echoed in the background. Protesters could be seen throwing rocks at security forces, who deployed an armored vehicle with a water cannon.
It was not immediately clear how many protesters were wounded.
Protesters also approached the headquarters of state-run Iraqi TV.
Tens of thousands of Iraqis have demonstrated in central Baghdad and across mostly Shiite southern Iraq in recent days, calling for the overthrow of the political system. The protests are fueled by anger at widespread corruption, high unemployment and poor public services.
Security forces have killed more than 250 people in two waves of protests since early October.
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10:30 a.m.
Iraqi security officials say three protesters were killed and 19 were wounded during an attack the previous night on the Iranian Consulate in the Shiite holy city of Karbala in southern Iraq.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations on Monday. They say seven policemen were also wounded.
Dozens of Iraqi protesters attacked the consulate, scaling the concrete barriers ringing the building to bring down the Iranian flag and replace it with the Iraqi flag. The protesters also lobbed molotov cocktails into the consulate grounds, setting off fires.
Anti-government protests in Baghdad, Karbala and other southern Iraqi cities have often turned violent, with security forces opening fire and protesters torching government buildings and headquarters of Iran-backed militias.
More than 250 people have been killed so far.
