Iraqi security forces shot and killed at least one protester in the country's south on Monday, official said as the five-month anti-government protest movement enters a critical stage.
Security forces fired live rounds to disperse crowds at the rally site near the al-Ain University in the southern city of Nasiriyah, killing a demonstrator, two medical officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
The latest death comes as the anti-government protests, which engulfed Baghdad and Iraq's south in October, are at a key point as activists are trying to maintain a critical number of people on the street and tensions continue to escalate between the demonstrators and the followers of a leading radical Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Nasiriyah has emerged as a frequent flashpoint of protest violence.