Toll rises to 15 protesters dead in south Iraq clashes: medics

The death toll in Iraq's flashpoint southern city of Nasiriyah rose to 15 protesters on Friday, medics said, as security forces fired on rallies in a new spree of violence.

Dozens more were wounded in Nasiriyah, just hours after Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi pledged to resign in the wake of protests demanding a government overhaul.

Nearly 420 protesters have died since the rallies erupted on October 1.