Dawn blasts rock Baghdad anew

BAGHDAD­—More than a dozen explosions shook central Baghdad at dawn on Sunday and heavy gunfire erupted in a street at the heart of the city, leaving a US armored vehicle on fire, witnesses said.

Thick plumes of black smoke rose above the Green Zone compound housing Iraq’s interim government and assembly and the US and other embassies. Sirens echoed across the zone and US military gunships hovered in the sky.