Explosions have been heard in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad and in the city of Erbil in the autonomous Kurdistan region, AFP journalists report.

The cause of the loud bangs in Baghdad remains unknown, but a witness near the fortified Green Zone, which houses the US embassy, has reported seeing air defences activated over the area.

In Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, an AFP journalist reports hearing the sound of a drone followed by at least three loud bangs.