Iraqi protesters dig in to 'bring down regime'

Hundreds of protesters hunkered down in the Iraqi capital's Tahrir Square on Sunday, defying another night of tear gas and shuttered roads as they pledged to "weed out" the political class.

They have continued to gather despite a rapidly rising casualty toll, with more than 60 people dead since the second wave of anti-government protests kicked off Thursday.

"We're here to bring down the whole government -- to weed them all out!" one protester said, the Iraqi tricolour wrapped around his head.

Government officials including Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi and parliament speaker Mohammed Al-Halbussi have suggested more than a dozen reforms, but demonstrators seem unimpressed.

"We don't want a single one of them. Not Halbussi, not Abdel Mahdi. We want to bring down the regime," the protester said.

The scene at Tahrir was chaotic, with some protesters climbing atop multistorey business centres to wave Iraqi flags and others torching tyres in rubbish-littered streets.

Large tents had been