Clashes between Iraqi security forces and Sunni demonstrators killed at least 23 people Tuesday and wounded dozens.
Military officials say a gun battle broke out in Hawija, near Kirkuk, when security forces tried to arrest people at a protest camp. At least two soldiers are among the dead.
Also, mortar fire hit a Sunni mosque in Muqdadiyah, northeast of Baghdad, killing at least nine worshippers.
Sunnis are protesting what they say is discrimination by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government.
Sunni activists want Maliki to step down, accusing the government of arbitrarily arresting Sunni opponents and holding them without charges.
Iraqi Education Minister Mohammed Tamim, a Sunni Muslim, resigned Tuesday in protest over the raid on the protest camp.
U.N. envoy Martin Kobler is calling for calm. He is urging security forces to exercise restraint and for Sunnis to protest peacefully.
Military officials say a gun battle broke out in Hawija, near Kirkuk, when security forces tried to arrest people at a protest camp. At least two soldiers are among the dead.
Also, mortar fire hit a Sunni mosque in Muqdadiyah, northeast of Baghdad, killing at least nine worshippers.
Sunnis are protesting what they say is discrimination by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government.
Sunni activists want Maliki to step down, accusing the government of arbitrarily arresting Sunni opponents and holding them without charges.
Iraqi Education Minister Mohammed Tamim, a Sunni Muslim, resigned Tuesday in protest over the raid on the protest camp.
U.N. envoy Martin Kobler is calling for calm. He is urging security forces to exercise restraint and for Sunnis to protest peacefully.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
