Air strikes in Baghdad, Basra kill 13

Baghdad: Air strikes on a Baghdad militia stronghold and in Basra city killed 13 gunmen overnight, US and British military said on Friday.

US soldiers operating a drone plane over Baghdad's Sadr City late on Thursday fired a missile at a group of men carrying rocket-propelled grenade launchers, killing six.

In Basra, British forces launched an air strike against fighters they said engaged Iraqi ground troops, killing six and wounding one, the British military said.

"We had our eyes on an enemy mortar team which was firing on Iraqi armed forces on the ground," said British Major Tom Holloway. "The mortar team had been engaging Iraqi ground forces."