Iraq's Shi'ites stage major protest across three cities
Meanwhile, Sunnis shut down places of worship in a show of anger over alleged sectarian violence against the minority.
The Shi'ite protests in the southern cities of Najaf, Kufa and Nasiriyah, came as Iraq's Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari announced he will visit Syria, which has been accused of harbouring insurgents bent on starting a civil war in Iraq.