<p class="title">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.</p>.<p class="bodytext">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.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Nearly 420 protesters have died since the rallies erupted on October 1.</p>
<p class="title">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.</p>.<p class="bodytext">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.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Nearly 420 protesters have died since the rallies erupted on October 1.</p>