US military chopper crashes in Iraq
'Pakistan Times' Wire Service

BAGHDAD: Ten US troops were killed in Iraq over the weekend and three more are missing after a helicopter crashed in the restive west of the country, the US military said Monday.

The mounting US death toll came as US President George W. Bush, whose administration is under mounting pressure to find a way out of the conflict, prepared to hold White House talks with a powerful Iraqi Shiite leader.

The military said the Marine Corps Sea Knight helicopter with 16 people on board crashed Sunday into a body of water in the western province of Al-Anbar. "

The incident does not appear to be a result of enemy action and is currently under investigation," it said, without identifying the exact location.

Twelve people survived the crash while one marine was pulled out of the water but could not be revived.

"Search and recovery efforts are ongoing for the remaining three unaccounted service members who have been listed as Duty Status Unknown," the military said.●