Unknown assailants shot at protesters in Baghdad’s Khilani Square late Friday, killing six and wounding 30, Iraqi security and medical officials said.
The attacks come one day after a string of suspicious stabbing incidents left at least 13 wounded in Baghdad’s Tahirir Square, the epicenter of Iraq’s leaderless protest movement.
Iraq's highest Shiite religious authority, Ali al-Sistani, called Friday for the formation of a new government within the allotted deadline, and without foreign interference, as the clock ticks down on lawmakers to select a new premier following the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi last week.
Thousands of anti-government protesters from across southern Iraq joined demonstrators in Tahrir Square, hours after the sermon, according to security officials.
At least 400 people have died since the leaderless uprising shook Iraq on Oct. 1, with thousands of Iraqis taking to the streets in Baghdad and southern Iraq decrying corruption, poor services and lack of jobs.
