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.