Protesters stormed the provincial government building in the Iraqi city of Karbala on Saturday as protests over poor public services and corruption across southern Iraq entered their sixth day.

Demonstrations also took place in the cities of Najaf and Basra, where security forces announced city-wide curfews amid reports of skirmishes between protesters and local militia groups.

In Basra, seven protesters were injured after clashing with guards belonging to a local militia group, security forces said.