23 protestors shot dead, over 300 injured in Iraq protests: Report

Protests in Baghdad's Green Zone escalated on Tuesday and 23 supporters of Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr have been shot dead since Monday.

Fighting between rival Iraqi forces resumed Tuesday in Baghdad, where 23 supporters of Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr have been shot dead since Monday, according to the latest toll by medics.

At least 380 people were also injured, the medical source said.

Clashes between Sadr's supporters and the army and men of the Hashed al-Shaabi, former paramilitaries integrated into the Iraqi forces, had calmed down overnight but resumed again on Tuesday morning.

Automatic weapon and rocket fire echoed throughout Baghdad from the high-security Green Zone, which houses government buildings and diplomatic missions, AFP correspondents reported.