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BAGHDAD (AP) — The Latest on anti-government protests in Iraq (all times local):
11:05 p.m.
Iraqi security officials say two rockets have been fired into Baghdad's fortified Green Zone area, killing one Iraqi soldier.
At least one of the Katyusha rockets fired Wednesday night landed about 100 meters (110 yards) away from the parameters of the U.S. Embassy.
A soldier manning a checkpoint near a restaurant was killed, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.
The Green Zone is home to several Western embassies and government offices.
The attack comes as Iraq is gripped by anti-government protests. More than 240 people have been killed this month as security forces crackdown on the growing protest movement.
— By Qassim Abdul-Zahra.
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7:30 p.m.
Protests in Iraq are gaining momentum with tens of thousands of people gathering in a central square in Baghdad and across much of the country's Shiite-majority central southern provinces.
Security and hospital officials say more than 60 protesters were injured Wednesday by tear gas canisters fired by security forces at protesters in the vicinity of Tahrir Square, which has emerged as the epicenter of the protests.
The protests are over deteriorating living conditions, unemployment and corruption. Protesters have been joined by supporters of an influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has called on the government to resign. They are also joined by university and school students.
The protests across Iraq have been met with bullets and tear gas by security forces. A total of 240 people have been killed since the unrest began Oct. 1.
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