Three Iraqi civilians were injured Sunday when US and British warplanes attacked civilian and service installations in southern Iraq, an Iraqi military spokesman said.

This is the first time that Iraqi civilian injuries were reported in US and British bombardment of Iraqi targets this yearand during Lesser Bairam, the festival of Fast-breaking.

The spokesman said that at 11:50 (0850 GMT) 10 formations of U.Sand British warplanes coming from Saudi and Kuwaiti military bases carried out 31 sorties over southern Iraq's Thi-Qar, Wasit, Basra Muthana and Qadissiya provinces.

They bombarded some civilian and public service facilities in the region and injured three civilians, the spokesman said, adding they were repulsed by Iraqi missile units and air defenses.

Since the air strikes against Iraq in December 1998, US and British warplanes have made 17,420 sorties over the two no-fly zones in Iraq and have targeted regularly its civilian and militarytargets, he added.

The no-fly zones were imposed on Iraq by the US-led western allies following the 1991 Gulf War with the claimed aim of protecting the Kurds in the north and the Shiite Muslims in the south against possible attacks by Iraqi government troops.

Iraq does not recognize these restricted zones because of the lack of direct authorization from the UN Security Council. (Xinhua)