An officer in charge of security in the Iraqi capital
Baghdad was replaced on Sunday, two days after an attack on
anti-government protesters that witnesses said killed at least 16
people.
General Abdul Hussein al-Tamimi has replaced General Qais
al-Mohammedwai as chief of the government's security service Baghdad
Operations, the official news agency INA reported, citing an unnamed
official.
The replacement was due to al-Mohammedwai's health, the agency added
without elaborating.
On Friday, unknown gunmen fired from cars at anti-government
protesters staging a sit-in at al-Khilani Square in central Baghdad,
according to witnesses.
The attack was one of the deadliest since anti-government rallies
began in the country.
Hundreds of people, mainly demonstrators, have been killed the
demonstrations that have roiled Baghdad and other parts of Iraq since
early October.
Protesters are calling for the resignation of the government, the
dissolution of parliament and an overhaul of the country's political
system that has been in place since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.
The demonstrations have turned violent amid accusations from rights
groups that members of the Iraqi security forces used excessive force
against protesters.
Iraqi demonstrators wave national flags and carry banners as the take part in an anti-government demonstration in the capital Baghdad's Tahrir Square Friday