Iraqi authorities have suspended the licenses of 10 satellite channels because of a rise in sectarian unrest, BBC News reported.

Al-Jazeera TV and Sharqiya are among the channels accused of "inciting violence". A ban has been imposed on their operations across Iraq.

More than 170 people have been killed in less than a week and PM Nouri Maliki has spoken of a "wave of sectarianism" in Iraq that began abroad.

An army raid on a Sunni protest camp on Tuesday sparked widespread clashes.