Basra burns as Al Sadr calls for MPs to meet
The measures failed to disperse protesters, who responded by hurling Molotov cocktails and letting off fireworks at the security forces.
Security personnel later stopped shooting in the protesters’ direction and instead fired shots in the air and used tear gas.
Reinforcements were sent to Basra where concrete blocks were used to protect the government building.
Basra province and other southern cities have been the focus of anti-government demonstrations which have rocked Iraq since early July.
Residents are particularly angry over pollution of the local water supply, which has put 20,000 people in hospital.
On Tuesday six demonstrators were killed and more than 20 wounded during the bloodiest day of clashes.
The authorities said 30 security personnel were also hurt in the violence “by grenades and incendiary objects”. On Tuesday, Mr Al Abadi said he had ordered “no real bullets ... to be fired, in the direction of protesters or in the air”.
Mr Al Sadr tweeted before the latest clashes, claiming “vandals had infiltrated” the protests.
The authorities have pledged to put an end to the health crisis that has gripped the oil-rich province of Basra.
Mr Al Abadi announced overnight that he met politicians from Basra, who are in Baghdad for the first parliamentary session since the May elections. He again indicated that water pollution would be addressed, without specifying any measures.
In July, the government announced a multibillion-dollar emergency plan for southern Iraq to revive infrastructure and services.
But protesters are wary of promises made by the outgoing government, as negotiations about the formation of the next administration drag on.