Several people killed as series of deadly blasts rock Baghdad
At least six people were killed and 15 wounded in Baghdad in three separate explosions, Iraqi security and medical sources said, according to Reuters news agency.
Three people were killed and five were wounded in Baghdad's northern Shaab district on Tuesday when a motorcycle exploded, the sources said.
A second motorcycle exploded in the capital's southwestern Bayaa district, killing two and wounding six, Reuters said.
A third blast - an improvised explosive device - went off in the eastern Baladiyat district, killing one person and wounding four, the news agency reported.
AFP news agency reported that the blasts were "near-simultaneous".
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There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Islamic State (IS) group militants have carried out similar attacks in Baghdad and other provinces.
The explosions did not appear to be related to mass anti-government protests that erupted last month, Reuters reported.
The protesters, which first took to the streets on 1 October, have denounced government corruption, high unemployment and a lack of public services.
Deadly crackdowns continue
Iraqi security forces in Baghdad on Tuesday fired rubber-coated steel bullets and tear gas at demonstrators, AFP reported, killing at least one protester.
The security forces were trying to keep demonstrators away from al-Ahrar bridge, which leads to government buildings on the west bank of the Tigris river, the news agency said.
The protester was fatally shot with a rubber-coated steel bullet and 18 others were wounded, AFP reported, citing a medical source.
A body marked with a rubber-coated steel bullet wound was also found under al-Ahrar bridge on Tuesday, but it was unclear when the person had died, the medic said.
Iraqi security forces also fired live ammunition at protesters on Tuesday in Iraq's Karbala, killing at least one person, AFP also reported.
There was no immediate information about the victim's identity or specific cause of death.
An AFP reporter in Karbala said riot police fired live rounds both into the air and directly at crowds of teenage protesters in the city.
The journalist said they witnessed a demonstrator suffering from a bullet wound to the head.
More than 350 people have been killed and around 15,000 wounded in the Iraqi government's crackdown on the protests.
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