Tens of thousands of Sunni Muslims have rallied in Iraq in another show of discontent with the Shi'ite-led government.
The protests took place in Fallujah and Ramadi, blocking a major highway in western Iraq.
Last week, five protesters and two soldiers were killed in clashes in Fallujah.
Demonstrations have swept Sunni-majority areas of Iraq for the past weeks.
Protesters say Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government persecutes the country's Sunni Muslim minority.
They are calling for the release of prisoners and the reform of antiterror legislation.
In a concession to the protesters, Maliki has released hundreds of detainees.
An Al-Qaida-affiliated group, the Islamic State of Iraq, has called on Sunni Muslims to take up arms to restore "dignity and freedom."
The protests took place in Fallujah and Ramadi, blocking a major highway in western Iraq.
Last week, five protesters and two soldiers were killed in clashes in Fallujah.
Demonstrations have swept Sunni-majority areas of Iraq for the past weeks.
Protesters say Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government persecutes the country's Sunni Muslim minority.
They are calling for the release of prisoners and the reform of antiterror legislation.
In a concession to the protesters, Maliki has released hundreds of detainees.
An Al-Qaida-affiliated group, the Islamic State of Iraq, has called on Sunni Muslims to take up arms to restore "dignity and freedom."