(Adds Iraqi military spokesman)

BAGHDAD, March 1 (Reuters) - Dozens of loud explosions rocked southern Baghdad in quick succession on Thursday evening, Reuters witnesses said.

Iraqi military spokesman Brigadier Qassim Moussawi said the blasts were part of a new security offensive against militants in the capital, Iraqiya state television reported.

The broadcaster gave no further information. A U.S. military spokeswoman said she had no details on the blasts.

The explosions, which sounded like mortar bombs, appeared to be coming from the city's volatile Doura district. While bomb blasts are a regular occurrence in Baghdad, such a number in a short space of time is rare.

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