The spokeswoman for Wasit province, Sondos al-Dahabi, said Thursday that three demonstrators were killed in a protest the day before. The top health official for the province, Diaa al-Aboudi, said she was only aware of one fatality, an Iraqi soldier.

Conflicting casualty tolls are common in the immediate aftermath of events in Iraq.

In Wednesday's incident, witnesses say police shot at demonstrators who attacked government offices in Kut 100 miles (160 kilometers) southeast of Baghdad.

It was the most violent protest to hit Iraq in the wake of the uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia.