New protests break out in Iraq's Sunni dominated province

Ramadi, Iraq: Witnesses say thousands of demonstrators have gathered again in a Sunni Muslim-dominated Iraqi province west of the capital to voice their opposition to the Shiite-led government. The protesters massed on Wednesday along a highway linking Baghdad with neighboring Jordan and Syria. They held banners demanding that Sunnis’ rights be respected and calling for the release of Sunni prisoners in Iraqi jails. [caption id=“attachment_569739” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] AP[/caption] It is the third major protest in Anbar province in less than a week. On Friday, Iraq’s government said it had arrested 10 of Finance Minister Rafia al-Issawi’s bodyguards on terrorism-related charges. Al-Issawi comes from Anbar and is one of the government’s most senior Sunni officials. The case is exacerbating tensions with Iraq’s Sunnis, who accuse Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of targeting and marginalising them. AP