Iraq’s deadly unrest closes roads, schools across south

Karbala, Iraq, Nov 27 (AFP/APP): Iraqi anti-government protesters blocked roads in the country’s south with burning tyres on Wednesday, as schools and public offices stayed shut a day after deadly clashes with security forces.

The country has been rocked by the biggest wave of protests since the 2003 US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein, leaving more than 350 people dead and around 15,000 wounded since early October.

Violence had erupted in the southern holy city of Karbala on Tuesday, with one protester killed as riot police fired live rounds both into the air and directly into crowds of teenagers pelting them with rocks.

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Fearing more bloodshed, Karbala’s religious authorities ordered their network of private schools in the city, as well as in nearby Babylon and the second holy city of Najaf, kept shut for two days starting Wednesday.