Protests grow as Basra battle continues

Tens of thousands of Shiite protesters took to the streets today over the government’s crackdown against militias in Basra as heavy fighting between Iraqi security forces and gunmen erupted for a third day in the southern oil port and Baghdad.

Iraqi officials reported 17 more people killed in overnight clashes in Baghdad’s main Shiite district of Sadr City and raised the number of deaths from fighting in the southern city of Hillah to at least 60.