Black smoke near US embassy after Baghdad blast

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A giant column of black smoke was visible near the U.S. embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone on Thursday after an apparent mortar strike, a Reuters reporter said, but the embassy said there were no serious injuries.

The blast struck near a former palace of Saddam Hussein that has been used as the headquarters for hundreds of U.S. civilian and military personnel in Iraq.

"There were no serious injuries or deaths as a result of today's attacks," embassy spokeswoman Mirembe Nantongo said.

A Reuters reporter at the scene said the blast appeared to have taken place inside the embassy compound, but did not appear to have hit the building.

A number of explosions also shook other parts of the capital at around the same time.

The fortified Green Zone diplomatic and government compound has been struck by repeated volleys of mortar bombs and rockets over the past three days. Sixteen mortar bombs hit the zone on Wednesday, wounding four people including two U.S. civilians.

(Reporting by Randy Fabi; writing by Peter Graff; editing by Ross Colvin)