Clashes between security forces and Shiite militiamen in the capital''s war-torn Sadr City district killed two people and injured 18, police said Wednesday, reports AP.

Meanwhile, the British military said warplanes attacked gunmen in the southern port city of Basra early Wednesday. The airstrike killed four militants and wounded one, spokesman Maj Tom Holloway said.

In Sadr City, a police officer said those injured in gunbattles Tuesday included three women and three children. Sadr City is a stronghold of the Mahdi Army militia of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because was is not authorized to speak to the media, said sporadic shooting was still going on and it was too dangerous to venture out on the streets.