The blasts on al Zaitoon Street near the so-called Green Zone incentral Baghdad also hit near a house owned by Allawi, the official said. Allawi was not at the house at the time of the blasts, he added.

There was no immediate confirmation from the US Army or the Iraqi security forces about where the blasts were or what was the cause.

The Green Zone, a heavily-fortified area that harboured the dissolved US-led coalition, houses the largest US embassy in the world as well as the new Iraqi government.

The area was frequently targeted by insurgents with mortar rounds, rockets and car bombs during the past 14 months.

Source: Xinhua