Iraqi officials say three civilians have been killed and eight injured during bombing raids by American and British planes over southern Iraq.

The official Iraqi newsagency quoted a military spokesman as saying Iraqi anti-aircraft defences had driven the planes away after the attacks.

There's been no word from either Washington or London. US and British planes patrol air exclusion zones in southern and northern Iraq, which were set up after the Gulf War in 1991.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service