"We'll be out today, actively securing the town," Group Captain Al Lockwood told AFP.

"It's not secure yet. We'll give it a couple of days before we declare it secure."

British troops on Monday said the battle for Basra was "more or less over" as thousands of soldiers poured into the city.

The British had been making regular incursions over the previous few days but Monday was first time they had been able to move into the narrow streets of the city's Old Town.

An officer on the ground said the British had deployed 4,000 soldiers, 200 tanks and hundreds of armoured vehicles in the city.

SPACE.WIRE