Two protesters die of wounds in Iraq

By Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD (AA) – Two Iraqi protesters have succumbed to their wounds in southern Iraq, according to local medical sources on Wednesday.

One demonstrator was injured in clashes with security forces near the Umm Qasr port in Basra last month and died of his injuries on Wednesday, a medical source said.

Another protester died of his wounds in the city of Nassiriya late Tuesday, another source said.

Iraq has been roiled by mass protests since early October over poor living conditions and corruption, forcing Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi to resign.

According to Iraq's High Commission for Human Rights, at least 496 Iraqis have been killed and 17,000 have been injured since the protests began Oct. 1.

* Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara