Thirty US marines and a sailor have died in a helicopter crash in western Iraq, in the deadliest day for US troops since the March 2003 invasion.
Six US troops and several Iraqis were killed elsewhere in Iraq.
The helicopter came down in bad weather near the Jordanian border. A leading US general said there was no indication of hostile action.
It comes four days before Iraq's election - a poll that US President George Bush called a "grand moment".
"I urge all people to vote. I urge people to defy these terrorists," Mr Bush told reporters in Washington.
US HELICOPTER LOSSES IN IRAQ
"Anytime we lose lives, it is a sad moment," he said.
In separate incidents, four US marines were killed in combat in restive Anbar province - the same province where the helicopter crashed - and a US soldier was killed when an army patrol came under attack in northern Iraq.
In Baghdad, another soldier was killed and two injured in a roadside bombing, taking the day's US death toll to 37.
'Routine mission'
The helicopter, a CH-53E Super Stallion, was flying over the desert when it went down at about 0120 local time (2220 GMT Tuesday), near the town of Rutbah.
Gen John Abizaid, commander of US troops in Iraq, said the helicopter was on "a routine mission in support of the elections".
There have been a series of attacks across the country as tensions increase ahead of Sunday's vote:
CH-53E SUPER STALLION
This week, a senior US general said the army expected to keep about 120,000 troops in Iraq for at least two more years.
Troop numbers were recently boosted to 150,000, to improve security during the Iraqi election.
This latest helicopter crash is the worst single loss of life for the US military since the war began.
Until this latest incident, the worst helicopter crash was on 15 November 2003, when two Black Hawks collided under fire over Mosul, killing 17 service personnel.
The previous deadliest day for the US was 23 March 2003 when 28 troops were killed in combat.
^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©