Death toll surpasses 100 in Iraqi protests

Iraq’s government has denied that any of its security forces have fired directly at protesters during six days of violent demonstrations.

At least 109 people have now been killed since the unrest began on Tuesday – and more than 6,000 people have been injured.

Of the fatalities, at least 12 were confirmed killed as of early Monday, a medical official in a local hospital and a security official told AP news agency.

The officials, who did not provide details, spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to reporters.

Security forces have beefed up their presence in central Baghdad, deploying as far as Sadr City to seal off Tahrir Square on Sunday.

The mostly leaderless demonstrations are the biggest challenge yet to the year-old government of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi.

Via Al Jazeera