Heavy gunfire has erupted in the centre of Baghdad as Iraq prepares for the start of the country's historic election.
Meanwhile, a rocket attack on the US embassy compound in Baghdad's Green Zone has killed an American civilian, a US serviceman and wounded five other Americans.
An unprecedented security clampdown has failed to halt a wave of deadly attacks by insurgents, who have declared war on tomorrow's elections.
The latest deaths bring to nineteen the number of people who have been killed in a fresh surge of violence.
A suicide bomber killed at least three Iraqi soldiers and five civilians in the Iraqi town of Khanaqin, northeast of Baghdad. Seven people were wounded.
Three civilians were killed in a roadside bombing in the city of Samarra, and a rocket attack on an Iraqi army base in the town of Duluiya killed three soldiers.
And three Iraqi contractors abducted a week ago were found shot dead in the town of Balad.
Massive security measures have brought normal life almost to a standstill ahead of tomorrow's poll.
A strict curfew is in place, all of Iraq's land borders have been closed and travel between provinces has been banned.
The locations of the polling stations were announced today. They had been kept secret until now to protect them from attacks.
Iraq's President has said he expects that the majority of Iraqis will not vote in tomorrow's elections. President Ghazi al-Yawar said violence would keep them away from the polls.
Meanwhile, the latest estimates suggest that almost 30% of expatriate Iraqis who registered to vote have cast their ballot.
Voting is taking place in 14 countries, largely among people who fled Iraq when Saddam Hussein came to power.
Polling continues today and tomorrow.
