A suicide bombing rocked central Baghdad on Wednesday, shaking buildings and covering the area with heavy smoke. The blast also set the nearby Agriculture Ministry building on fire. (Photo: Xinhua/AFP)

Black smoke fills the air as a fire engine is seen racing along a bridge crossing the Tigris River as it makes it way towards an explosion in central Baghdad at the ministry of agriculture. Police and security guards said a garbage truck packed with explosives blew up near the ministry setting the building ablaze. (Photo: Xinhua/AFP)

    BAGHDAD, March 9 (Xinhuanet) -- A suicide car bomb set ablaze Iraq's Agriculture Ministry early on Wednesday, killing one security guard and wounding at least 20 others, eyewitnesses and medical sources said.

    The blast, conducted by a garbage truck driver, occurred near a Baghdad hotel used by Iraqi police and their foreign instructors, said the police. The driver has been blown up.

    Eyewitnesses say shooting erupted for several minutes before and after the blast, which sent thick black smoke into the sky and destroyed 20 cars.

    American troops have sealed off the area.  Enditem