The Americans say coalition aircraft have bombed a communications centre in northern Iraq, in response to Iraqi anti-aircraft fire.

The American military command in Europe said the target was part of the Iraqi integrated air defence system near the city of Mosul, some four-hundred kilometres north of the capital Baghdad.

The Iraqis said the planes had attacked civilian targets killing one civilian and wounding another.

The raid is the latest on Iraqi targets in the northern and southern border areas, which the Americans and British say they patrol from the air in order to protect Kurds and Shiites from Iraqi forces.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service