AFP, NAJAF, IraqIraqi protesters on Wednesday torched the Iranian consulate in the city of Najaf in an escalation of anti-government demonstrations that have left more than 350 people dead. The Iranian consulate in the city of Karbala was targeted earlier this month, and security forces defending the site shot four demonstrators dead at the time. In Baghdad’s colonnaded streets, young demonstrators donned helmets and medical masks to face off once more against security forces unleashing tear gas. A correspondent reported volleys of gunfire from behind concrete barricades where the security forces were deployed. They feared a repeat of Tuesday’s chaos, when clashes between riot police and protesters left one dead.
