AP, Baghdad :Campaigning in Iraq's first national elections since Saddam Hussein's ouster began Wednesday under the shadow of a rampant insurgency, with interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi announcing his candidacy and the defence minister accusing Iranian and Syrian agents of aiding the militants.

In the latest violence, a US Marine was killed in action Tuesday in Anbar province, west of Baghdad containing the battleground cities of Ramadi and Fallujah, while a US soldier belonging to the 1st Corps Support Command died from gunshot wounds sustained during a convoy mission south of Baghdad.

As of Wednesday, at least 1,304 US military personnel have died since the war began in March 2003.

Three Polish soldiers were killed and four injured Wednesday when their Sokol W-3 helicopter crashed near Karbala, south of Baghdad, during an emergency landing caused by an apparent "technical failure," the Polish military said, bringing to 16 the number of soldiers from the Eastern European country to have died in Iraq.

Also on Wednesday, a Western official in Baghdad said Saddam's right-hand man, Ali Hassan al-Majid, known as "Chemical Ali," would be among the first to appear in court next week to face charges for crimes allegedly committed during Saddam's 35-year dictatorship. Allawi said earlier that formal indictments could be issued against some of Saddam's top deputies next month - just ahead of the Jan. 30 election.

Surrounded by supporters in tribal garb, clerical turbans and smart suits, Allawi announced Wednesday that he will stand at the polls backed by a 240-member list of candidates meant to highlight his appeal to Iraq's diverse and sometimes fractious ethnic and religious groups.

The U.S.-backed prime minister pledged to work for national unity and move away from "religious and ethnic fanaticism" if elected on Jan. 30.

"By depending on God, and with a firm determination and based on strong confidence in the abilities of our people, we are capable of confronting the difficulties and challenges and of making a bright future for our honorable people," Allawi said.

Allawi said his party would push for the eventual withdrawal of multinational forces.

"Rebuilding the army and the forces of national safety enable us to work on asking for the final withdrawal of the multinational forces from our beloved country according to a set timetable," he said.

Many in Iraq fear that the campaigning period will be targeted by insurgents opposed to the election.

Defense Minister Hazem Shaalan accused Iranian and Syrian agents of cooperating with former Saddam security operatives and Iraq's top terror figure - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi - "to run criminal operations in Iraq." Shaalan also sharply criticized one of the main Iraqi factions competing with Allawi in the election, calling it too close to Iran.

Iran's role in the insurgency was discovered after the arrest last month of the leader of another group, Jaish Mohammed (Mohammed's Army), which officials have said is linked to al-Zarqawi.

"When we arrested the commander of Jaish Mohammed we discovered that key to terrorism is in Iran, which this the number one enemy for Iraq," Shaalan said.

"They are fighting us because we want to build freedom and democracy and they want to build an Islamic dictatorship and have turbaned clerics to rule in Iraq," he said.

Al-Zarqawi's al-Qaida in Iraq group is believed to be leading a brutal campaign of hostage-takings, beheadings and bombings that victimize both Americans and Iraqis. U.S. officials have offered a $25 million bounty for al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian militant.

Iran and Syria have rejected U.S. and Iraqi claims they support Iraq's insurgency, but Damascus has said it is unable to fully close its long, porous border with its neighbor.

Shaalan's comments may have been aimed at trying to stir up sentiment against the United Iraqi Alliance, a leading coalition of mainly Shiite candidates, some with close ties to Iran, which is expected to do well in the vote.

He took a swipe at an architect of the 228-member coalition and leading member, nuclear physicist Hussain al-Shahristani, describing him as the "leader of an Iranian list" that wants to Iraq to be run similar to its Shiite-dominated neighbor.

Shiites, who make up around 60 percent of Iraq's population, are expected to dominate the elections, and the United Iraqi Alliance has the backing of the most influential Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

In addition to the official opening of the campaign period, Wednesday also was the cutoff day for parties or independents to lodge registrations to stand in the elections. Shaalan is running on a separate list not affiliated with the alliance.

In northern Iraq, Kurdish officials demanded that provincial elections that are being held at the same time as the national vote be postponed.

The Kurds will boycott the provincial elections if their demands were not met, said Kamal Kirkukly, a council member and an official of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, one of Iraq's two main Kurdish parties, in an interview with The Associated Press.

Among their demands is the return of displaced Kurds to the ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk, where Saddam's regime drove out many Kurds and replaced them with Arabs from other areas. The Kurds apparently want to solidify their demographic presence in the city before any vote. There was no suggestion the Kurds would boycott the national vote.

On Tuesday, Allawi announced Iraq will bring top figures of Saddam's ousted regime to court next week for the first time since they appeared before a judge five months ago, and formal indictments could be issued next month.

The Western official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the hearings would be preliminary and that al-Majid would be among the first to appear. Al-Majid, known as Chemical Ali for his role in chemical weapons attacks that killed thousands of Kurds in the 1980s, was captured Aug. 21, 2003.

The regime members face charges including war crimes, mass killings and the suppression of the 1991 Shiite rebellion. Saddam, who was arrested a year ago Monday, will not be among those to appear in court next week, The Associated Press has learned.