Twelve dead following Baghdad blast

At least 12 people have been killed in a series of blasts that rocked central Baghdad and gunmen are locked in an apparently co-ordinated battle with security forces, officials say.

Around 30 people have been are wounded.

The attacks all happened near the Allawi area, not far from the heavily fortified Green Zone that houses several foreign embassies and Iraqi government offices.

Hospital officials confirmed the casualty numbers.

Violence in Iraq has subsided from its peak in 2006 and 2007, but deadly attacks remain frequent a decade after the US-led invasion.