Iraq: Fighting breaks out between demonstrators and security forces at Sunni protest site

BAGHDAD – Officials in Iraq say clashes have erupted between demonstrators and security forces in a northern Sunni town, leading to multiple casualties.

Sheikh Abdullah Sami al-Asi, a Sunni provincial official from Hawija, said the fighting began early Tuesday morning when security forces entered the protest area and tried to make arrests.

He says scores of people have been wounded or killed. Hawija is 240 kilometers (160 miles) north of Baghdad.

A United Nations spokeswoman in Iraq, Eliana Nabaa, confirmed that there are multiple casualties. She urged both sides to immediately lay down their weapons.