BAGHDAD, March 31 (Reuters) - Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses Iraq's government and the U.S. embassy, appeared to be under rocket or mortar attack on Monday, Reuters witnesses said.

A siren wailed inside the U.S.-protected compound and a recorded voice warned people to take cover amid the sound of explosions. A dust storm enveloping the city made it difficult to see where the missiles were landing.

The attack came a day after Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his Mehdi Army fighters off the streets in an effort to end six days of clashes with Iraqi and U.S. forces.

Many of the attacks on the Green Zone have been launched from Sadr City, a Mehdi Army stronghold in eastern Baghdad. (Reporting by Ross Colvin; Editing by Catherine Evans)

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