A protester is seen during a protest at Tahrir square in Baghdad, Iraq, on Oct. 29, 2019. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)

 
Iraqi security forces cracked down on anti-government protesters in the strife-torn south on Thursday, leaving 22 people dead in a bloody escalation hours ­after the torching of an Iranian consulate.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, as commander in chief of the armed forces, dispatched military chiefs to several restive provinces to "restore order," the military said in a statement.

Iraq's capital and its south have been torn by the worst street unrest since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, as a youth-dominated protest movement has vented their fury at their government and its backers in neighboring Iran.

Late Wednesday protesters burnt down the Iranian consulate in the city of Najaf, yelling "Victory to Iraq!" and "Iran out!" in an attack condemned by Tehran which voiced its "disgust."

Iraq's death toll in the street clashes since early October has surpassed 360 with more than 15,000 wounded according to an AFP tally, as authorities are not releasing updated or precise figures. 

Protesters burning tires and throwing rocks and petrol bombs have clashed with security forces unleashing tear gas, rubber coated bullets and live rounds.

Demonstrators across the country have blamed Iran, Iraq's powerful eastern neighbor, for propping up the very government they seek to topple.

On Thursday morning, streets in Najaf were largely deserted due to the curfew, with public servants told to stay home.

Iran meanwhile demanded Iraq take decisive action against the protesters, with Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi condemning the attack.

"Iran has officially communicated its disgust to the Iraq Ambassador in Tehran," he said in comments carried by Iran's state news agency IRNA.