The US military says seven US soldiers have been killed in a helicopter crash in southern Iraq.
A military spokesman said it appeared mechanical failure was the cause of the crash of the Chinook transport helicopter.
The CH-47 Chinook crashed about 100km west of the main southern port city of Basra as it was flying as part of four-aircraft convoy flying from Kuwait to the northern city of Balad.
The crash comes just two days after US General Raymond Odierno took over as the new commander of US-led forces in Iraq from General David Petraeus.
The latest US deaths bring to 4,168 the number of US soldiers killed in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, according to Agence France-Presse.
