The Latest: Security forces deploy in Iraq's city of Basra

Protesters trample a portrait of Iran's supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during the storming and burning the Iranian consulate in Basra, 340 miles (550 km) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Sept. 7, 2018. Hundreds of angry protesters in Basra took to the streets on Thursday night. Some clashed with security forces, lobbing Molotov cocktails and setting fire to a government building as well as the offices of Shiite militias. At least three people were shot dead in confrontations with security forces. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani)

Protesters storm and burn the Basra Government building during a demonstration demanding better public services and jobs in Basra, 340 miles (550 km) southeast of Baghdad, Iraq, Friday, Sept. 7, 2018. Angry protesters stormed the Iranian consulate in the southern city of Basra Friday, setting a fire inside as part of ongoing demonstrations that have turned deadly in the past few days, a security official and eyewitnesses said. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani)

BASRA, Iraq – The Latest on the unrest in Iraq (all times local):

5:30 p.m.

Iraqi security forces and troops are deploying in the center of Basra and on street intersections, after hundreds of protesters torched government buildings and set fire to the Iranian consulate.

Dozens of gun-mounted black pick-up trucks belonging to the Interior Ministry and carrying masked security forces in combat fatigues were seen deploying Saturday afternoon.

Troops in Humvees also deployed on street intersections in the city center.

The deployment came shortly after an alliance of Shiite militias vowed to respond to the violent protests that have gripped the city for the past week. Health officials say at least 15 people have been killed in the weeklong confrontations.

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4:45 p.m.

The local military commander of an alliance of powerful Shiite militias is vowing to respond to weeklong protests that have turned violent in the southern city of Basra.

The commander, known as Abu Yasser al-Jaafar,i held a news conference in the city Saturday. "We will have a response to those who are carrying out acts of arson and sabotage," he proclaimed.

Angry protesters have torched government buildings and offices belonging to powerful Iranian-backed militias in weeklong protests demanding improved services and an end to corruption.

Al-Jaafari said that the lack of a response thus far should not be taken as a sign of weakness. He spoke at the city's presidential palaces compound, where Shiite paramilitary troops are stationed.

The government-sanctioned alliance of Shiite militias is known as the "Popular Mobilization Forces" or "Hashed" in Arabic. Many of the militias are backed by Iran.

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2:15 p.m.

Assailants fired three Katyusha rockets at Iraq's Basra airport Saturday, an airport official said, after a chaotic and violent night that saw hundreds of protesters setting ablaze the Iranian consulate in the city, attacking offices belonging to Iranian-backed militias and blocking roads.

The city of Basra, home to some of the largest oil fields in Iraq, has been the epicenter of angry protests over decades of government neglect, poor services and corruption. The demonstrations are the most serious to shake the oil-rich southern Shiite area in years, demanding an end to endemic corruption, soaring joblessness and crumbling infrastructure.

This week, they turned their rage on neighboring Iran, blaming its outsized influence in Iraq's political affairs for their misery and calling for radical change.