FALLUJA, Jan 13: American soldiers killed at least four Iraqi civilians on Tuesday in a town at the heart of the anti-US resistance while a US Apache helicopter crashed nearby, probably after being hit by ground fire.

Paul Bremer, the US administrator of Iraq, said attacks had come down dramatically and plans to hand over power to Iraqis were well under way, although it would not be possible to hold elections before the June 30 deadline.

A US Army foot patrol came under rocket attack in the town of Falluja, west of Baghdad, after a noisy anti-American protest and the soldiers killed at least four civilians when they returned fire, including an elderly woman, witnesses said.

"Two rockets were fired at them," said Khalas Ahmed, a 15-year-old boy selling cigarettes from a nearby kiosk. "The Americans started firing back. The bullets hit my kiosk and I dived to the ground."

The woman who was killed was on a balcony of a nearby house and a passing car was caught in a hail of bullets that killed all three men inside, other witnesses said.

A US military spokeswoman in Baghdad said she had no immediate information on the incident. At least three US helicopters have crashed around the town in less than two weeks, including the Apache on Tuesday. US spokesmen say all three were likely brought down by ground fire.

"Our initial information tells us that it's possible that the (Apache) helicopter was downed by, or at least was struck by, enemy fire," a US military spokesman said after the chopper crashed near Thirthar lake, north of Falluja.

Both crew members survived, other spokesmen said. Also near Falluja, a Black Hawk helicopter crashed after being hit by ground fire last week, killing all nine soldiers on board, and an OH-58 Kiowa observation helicopter was shot down on Jan 2, killing one pilot and injuring the other. -Reuters