BAGHDAD, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi security forces tasked with protecting the anti-government protests in Baghdad were attacked by hand grenades on Thursday, the Iraqi military said.

"In a serious development, our security forces in charge of protecting the demonstrators, in the area between the squares of al-Khalani and al-Tahrir in downtown Baghdad, were attacked with three hand grenades thrown from the side of the demonstrators towards our security forces," Baghdad Operations Command (BOC) said in a statement.

A number of the security members were wounded.

The statement said the wounded security members were transferred to hospitals, while the security forces continued their duties despite attacks by demonstrators with Molotov cocktails.

BOC warned that throwing hand grenades is a terrorist act and called on the demonstrators to refrain from encountering the security forces and stay in the protest site in al-Tahrir Square.

The BOC statement came a day after the security forces reopened al-Khalani and Wathba Squares, as well as al-Sinak Bridge and al-Rashid Street, in an attempt to protect the demonstration in Tahrir Square and secure traffic movement.

Mass anti-government demonstrations have been continuing in Baghdad and other cities in central and southern Iraq since October 2019, demanding comprehensive reform, fight against corruption, better public services and more job opportunities. Enditem

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