U.S. helicopter strikes militants in Iraq's Basra

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - A U.S. helicopter fired on militants at the request of Iraqi forces in the southern city of Basra on Friday, a British military spokesman said.

Major Tom Holloway, spokesman for British troops in southern Iraq, was not able to give details of casualties in the strike in the Hayaniya neighborhood, an area that has seen fighting between government troops and Shi'ite militants.

Eyewitnesses said there were casualties at the scene, where several houses were damaged.

Basra was the scene of a major crackdown by government forces last week. There have been sporadic clashes and U.S. air strikes there this week, although the town has been much quieter since Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called his fighters off the streets on Sunday.

(Editing by Matthew Jones)