All 31 killed in the crash of a US Marine helicopter in western Iraq are believed to be US Marines, a senior official said Wednesday.

It was the deadliest crash of a US military helicopter in Iraq since US forces invaded in March 2003.

The crash occurred in the desert, and the senior administration official said there was bad weather at the time. However, the official, who insisted on anonymity, said, "I have not heard anybody attribute a cause."

The CH-53 transport helicopter that crashed is a mainstay of the Marine Corps for ferrying equipment and troops in western Iraq.

Meanwhile, three suicide car bomb attacks on Iraqi police and troops in a town near Kirkuk killed at least nine people yesterday, police said, in the latest insurgent strikes on security forces ahead of Sunday's election.

(China Daily January 27, 2005)