Large explosions hit Baghdad
Large explosions rocked the capital of Iraq today, apparently an artillery barrage in the south of the city.
The blasts began after 9am in Baghdad, but the cause was unclear.
The size and the pattern of the explosions suggested they were caused by a US artillery barrage directed at Sunni militant neighbourhoods along the city's southern rim.
Such blasts have been heard in the evenings but they are rare at that time of day.
It later emerged that US-led forces had fired the artillery barrage in Baghdad.
In a brief statement, the US military said it fired the artillery from a forward operating base near Iraq's Rasheed military base southeast of Baghdad, but provided no other details.
Iraqis in the southern region of the city said American and Iraqi forces had stepped up their operations in the Dora area of southern Baghdad starting Saturday night.
They said the explosions were targeting insurgent positions in the Dora area. The Iraqis spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from both sides.
