Warplanes killed six civilians, says Iraq

IRAQ has claimed US and British warplanes killed six civilians and wounded another 15 in raids on Basra yesterday, but Washington said the jets struck military targets after coming under anti-aircraft fire.

An Iraqi military spokesman said the planes patrolling a “no-fly” zone in the south of the country entered Iraqi airspace at 9:45pm (18:45 GMT) on Sunday and later targeted civilian sites in the province of Basra.

In a statement on the state Iraqi News Agency, he said Iraqi anti-aircraft units fired at the planes, which returned to bases in Kuwait.