BAGHDAD, March 8, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Explosions were heard on Saturday night in Iraq's capital Baghdad and in the city of Erbil in the autonomous Kurdistan region, AFP journalists reported.

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

Several drones have been intercepted near Baghdad airport since the start of the war in the Middle East.

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

Since the start of the war, drones have repeatedly been intercepted over the city of Erbil, which is also home to a major US consulate complex.