Thousands of demonstrators stage demonstration against dominance of two major parties in Kurdish region

Around 4,000 demonstrators crowded a square in the centre of the Iraqi city of Sulaimaniyah on Tuesday, the latest protest against the dominance of two major parties in the Kurdish region.

Iraqi officials have tried to head off nationwide rallies by cutting the pay of ministers and MPs, hiking funds to buy food for the needy and delaying implementation of new import tariffs that would raise prices on goods.

But three young protesters have been killed and more than 100 wounded since Thursday in Sulaimaniyah, the second largest city in Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, in demonstrations against corruption and the dominance of two parties.

The banners of demonstrators in the city's Tahrir Square, or Liberation Square, on Tuesday read: "Don't Forget Hosni Mubarak," referring to Egypt's president ousted after mass protests in Cairo's own square of the same name.