The death toll in anti-government protests that have swept Iraq the past four days has soared to at least 100, security and medical sources say.
More than 2,500 people have also been injured since the protests began on Oct. 1 in Baghdad and the country’s southern provinces, said an official from the ministry who declined to be named.
Members of the security forces were among the dead, the official said, without providing an exact figure.
The military said “unidentified snipers” had killed four people in Baghdad, including two police officers.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi ordered the lifting of a government-enforced curfew in Baghdad by 5am local time (02:00 GMT) on Saturday, state media reported.
It was not immediately clear if curfews put in place in other cities throughout Iraq over the ongoing unrest would also be lifted.
Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr, whose coalition had won the largest number of seats in last year’s elections, called for the government to resign and for a snap election to be held, a statement from his office said.
The fresh poll should be monitored by international experts, the statement added.
Iraq has been rocked by days of protests, as thousands of mostly young men have been demonstrating in different parts of the country against corruption, unemployment and poor public services.
