Iraqi authorities announced on Tuesday that three armed insurgents as well as a government soldier were killed in clashes in the city of Ramadi, where three of the militants were also wounded.
The latest fighting comes just a day after 13 people, including three policemen, were killed in similar battles following the dismantlement of an anti-government protest camp.
On December 30, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s spokesman, Ali Mussawi, announced that local police and tribes had “completed the removal of the tents that were (at) the site, and opened the road that was closed.”
The Iraqi prime minister had described the protest site as the “headquarters for the leadership of al-Qaeda.”
Following the clashes on Monday, 44 Iraqi MPs announced their resignation, calling for “the withdrawal of the army.”
Iraq has been the scene of anti-government demonstrations since December 2012, when the bodyguards of then Finance Minister Rafa al-Essawi were arrested on terrorism-related charges, with protesters accusing government authorities of arresting them on sectarian grounds.
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