Eight killed in Basra air strike

An air strike early on Saturday in the southern port city of Basra killed eight people, an AFP journalist reported from the scene.

Bombs were dropped on the Al-Baath neighbourhood of northwest Basra, he said, adding that several houses in the area were damaged.

Witnesses said the strike was carried out by US-led coalition warplanes and that several more people were feared killed in the bombing.

Basra, Iraq's second largest city, has been engulfed in fierce clashes between Iraqi forces and Shiite gunmen since Tuesday.

Scores of people have been killed in the oil-rich city of 1.5 million people since the clashes erupted.

Coalition jets also bombed positions manned by Shiite fighters overnight on Friday. (AFP)