Three killed, dozens injured in Iraq protests
KUT, Iraq, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Three people were killed and dozens wounded in the southern Iraqi city of Kut on Wednesday in clashes between security forces and protesters demanding better basic services, police and hospital sources said.
Protesters calling for the removal of corrupt officials and an improvement in basic services threw bricks and stones at Iraqi security forces and took over the city's provincial and government buildings, the sources said.
"The toll from the violent actions of the demonstrations is three protesters killed and about 30 wounded, including 15 policemen from the facilities protection service," a police source in Kut said.
Reporting by Jaafar al-Taie in Kut and Ahmed Rasheed in Baghdad; Writing by Serena Chaudhry; Editing by Angus MacSwan