Iraq protests: 40 dead as mass unrest descends into violence

At least 40 people have died in Iraq during a fresh wave of anti-government protests that descended into violence.

Two of the dead were reportedly hit by tear gas canisters fired by security forces in the capital Baghdad.

Reports say half of the victims were killed while trying to storm the offices of militia groups and the government.

Protesters are demanding more jobs, better public services and an end to corruption.

About 2,000 people were wounded in protests across the country, AFP quoted a security source as saying.

Similar protests earlier this month were brutally put down by security forces, leaving nearly 150 people dead.

A government report has acknowledged that authorities used excessive force in quelling that unrest.

Ahead of the latest protests, Iraq's leading clerics and the United Nations issued calls for restraint.

A day earlier Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who took office a year ago on Friday, warned protesters that violence would not be tolerated.

He has promised a cabinet reshuffle and a package of reforms to address protesters' demands but many remain unconvinced.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in Baghdad's Tahrir Square on Friday morning.

When some tried to enter the Green Zone, where government buildings are based, security forces used tear gas to drive them back.

Police and medical sources told Reuters news agency that two demonstrators had died in Baghdad after being struck by tear gas canisters.

Pictures from Baghdad show at least one person, apparently hit by a canister, lying motionless on the street.

Twelve died while setting fire to the headquarters of a paramilitary force in the southern city of Diwaniyah, security sources told AFP.

There is no official confirmation of the figures. The Iraqi interior ministry said 68 members of the security forces were injured across the country.

The government's handling of the protests this month has fuelled discontent across Iraq, with political leaders facing calls to resign.

"We're not hungry, we want dignity," shouted one marcher. Another said that Iraq's politicians had "monopolised all the resources".

Protesters have called on the Shia-led government to overhaul Iraq's sectarian political system, in which power is shared along religious and ethnic lines.

Elsewhere, as unrest spread through Iraq's southern cities:

The protests started in Baghdad on 1 October. Most of those taking part were young and unemployed.

After security forces used live ammunition against demonstrators, the unrest escalated and spread to other cities and towns.

A government committee that was tasked with investigating the violence said 149 civilians and eight security personnel had been killed in protests between 1 and 6 October.

The committee concluded that "officers and commanders lost control over their forces during the protests" and that this "caused chaos".