Violence struck outside of the capital Thursday.

In the Sunni militant stronghold of Fallujah, a bomb-rigged car exploded near a convoy of cars heading to a police officer's wedding. At least five people were killed and 10 wounded, said police Lt. Wessam Mohammad. The bride and groom were not harmed.

The attack appeared linked to insurgents, who have targeted police officers, politicians and others seen as symbols of the US-backed government.

The US command said Thursday that two US Marines were killed the day before in fighting in western Anbar province, which includes Fallujah.

Four Iraqi civilians were killed and 10 others were wounded in a mortar attack Thursday in Iskandariyah, a mostly Shiite city 30 miles south of Baghdad, the US military said. A building was also damaged in the attack.

In northern Iraq, meanwhile, a US Army helicopter made a "hard landing," but the military said the problem was mechanical and not the result of hostile fire. The two-member crew suffered injuries, the military said.

The OH-58 Kiowa, which is mostly used in surveillance and some light combat missions, went down in an area around Kirkuk, about 180 miles north of Baghdad.

The two pilots were taken to an American military hospital in Kirkuk, the military said. There was no word on their injuries.

Last week, ground fire forced a Black Hawk helicopter to make an emergency landing north of Baghdad, the military said. At least eight other US helicopters have crashed or been brought down by hostile fire in Iraq this year.

Northeast of Baghdad, the US military said American and Iraqi troops killed 10 militants and seized six weapons stashes in Diyala province. The raids took place over the past three days, the military said Thursday.

Diyala is a mixed Sunni-Shiite area that has seen increased violence recently as insurgents stream out of Baghdad during the security crackdown.

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