British officials in southern Iraq say insurgents have killed at least three civilians in a failed attempt to hit a military base.
The officials say a rocket attack early today (Sunday) in the southern city of Basra missed the target (a military base,and hit a nearby house instead.
Other clashes between coalition forces and insurgents have been reported in Karbala and Nasiriyah -both south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. A hospital worker in Karbala says one Iraqi fighter was killed and at least three others wounded in clashes there after U.S. military tanks rolled into the city.
In Nasiriyah, Italian troops battled with fighters loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. There are no confirmed reports that anyone was killed.
The city of Najaf is said to be relatively calm, although one report (by the French news agency) says two members of the Sadr Mehdi Army were killed during an attack on a U.S. military convoy.
Information for this story is provided by Reuters, AFP and AP.