RAF and US warplanes attack Iraqi artillery

British and US warplanes have bombed an anti-aircraft artillery base in southern Iraq after coming under artillery fire.

The attack took place on the Al Faw Peninsula, said US Major Brett Morris, spokesman for the Joint Task Force Southwest.

He said all aircraft returned safely to base and a damage assessment is under way.

It's the third time this year that coalition warplanes have returned fire on Iraqi forces and the second consecutive day that aircraft have come under Iraqi attack.

On Wednesday, coalition warplanes returned fire against an Iraqi military site near Tallil, about 170 miles southeast of Baghdad.

US and RAF planes have been patrolling over northern and southern Iraq since after the 1991 Gulf War. The patrols were set up to protect Kurds and Shiite Muslims from Iraqi forces.

Baghdad says the zones violate international law and has been challenging allied planes since December 1998.