Iraq's ministry of defence said, in a statement, that 20 armed men were killed along with three army personnel - one officer and two soldiers - in the blasts.
The statement also said that the armed men used protesters as cover, and that the army has arrested 75 "fighters" and seized 40 rifles, plus grenades.
Sheikh Abdullah Sami al-Asi, a Sunni provincial official, said the fighting began when security forces entered the protest area in the town and tried to make arrests.
The operation was reportedly aimed at Sunni rebels from a group known as the Naqshbandiya Army, and officials said that security forces only opened fire gunmen fired at them.
History of the protests
The protests started in December sparked by the arrest of a major Sunni politician.
The demonstrations are because a lot of people are being arrested under a very vague and sweeping anti-terrorist law; a lot of these sweeps are happening in Sunni areas, They are also upset they have no jobs; a lot of Iraqis here were stripped of their jobs because they were affiliated with the former Ba'ath Party."
Protesters have taken to the streets in Sunni-majority areas for more than four months, calling for the resignation of prime minister Nouri al-Maliki and decrying the alleged targeting of their minority community by the Shia-led authorities.
Source: Aljazeera 4/23/2013
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