BAGHDAD, Nov 14 (Reuters) - A loud explosion rocked central Baghdad on Wednesday, shaking buildings inside the heavily fortified Green Zone compound that houses the U.S. embassy and numerous Iraqi government ministries, Reuters witnesses said.

The cause of the blast was not immediately clear, but it was one of the loudest heard in the capital in weeks. Violence has dropped sharply in Baghdad in recent months following a big increase in American troops this year.

AlertNet news is provided by