BAGHDAD, Iraq - Separate air crashes killed four American and four Italian troops, officials said today, and the governor of Anbar province was killed during clashes between U.S. forces and the insurgents who abducted him three weeks ago.

In an audio tape purportedly of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the insurgent leader sent a message to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden that he was in good health after suffering a slight wound in a firefight with U.S. troops, and would "tighten the noose" on his foes.

The cause of the two air crashes was not known.

The Iraqi single-engine Comp Air 7SL aircraft crashed Monday near the village of Jalula, about 80 miles northeast of Baghdad, killing the four Americans and the Iraqi pilot, said U.S. military spokesman Lt. Col. Fred Wellman. The aircraft, one of seven used by the Iraqi air force for surveillance and personnel transport, had been heading for Jalula from a Kirkuk air base, the military said in a statement.

The Italian AB-412 military helicopter crashed overnight about eight miles southeast of Nasiriyah, killing its two pilots and two passengers, all attached to the army, Italian military spokesman Lt. Col. Fabio Mattiassi said today. Most of Italy's 3,000 troops are based in Nasiriyah, and 26 have been killed.

The body of the governor of volatile Anbar province, Raja Nawaf Farhan al-Mahalawi, was found Sunday in the village of Rawah, about 175 miles northwest of Baghdad, said government spokesman Laith Kuba. Al-Mahalawi was abducted May 10 near Qaim, a town near the Syrian border.

Al-Mahalawi was found tied to a gas cylinder inside a house following a gun battle between U.S. forces and insurgents holed up in the house, Kuba said.

A military spokesman said a U.S. helicopter had flown al-Mahalawi's body Monday to Qaim, where his family identified him.

Qaim also was the site of a bloody battle between militants and U.S. troops in May that al-Zarqawi claimed in the tape as a victory for the insurgency.

"Al-Qaim was the battlefield where the youth of Mohammed have proved their valiance after 10 days of fighting," the speaker on the audio tape attributed to al-Zarqawi said.

"It was one of the greatest battles of Islam," the speaker said, addressing bin Laden. "Our dear emir, if you want to know our news, we would like to assure you that we are continuing on the path of jihad, we are committed to our pledge. We will either win or die trying."

The U.S. military said it killed 125 militants during its weeklong offensive against fighters of al-Zarqawi's al-Qaida in Iraq group. Nine U.S. Marines were killed and 40 injured during the operation.

The Sunday Times of London reported that al-Zarqawi was wounded in the chest by shrapnel when a U.S. missile struck his convoy near Qaim three weeks ago. Although it reported the Jordanian may have traveled to Iran for treatment, Tehran denied the report.

"I am sure you have heard through the media that I was wounded and treated in a Ramadi hospital," according to the recording. "I would like to assure you and the Muslim nation that these were pure allegations. It was a light wound, thank God. We are back fighting them in the land of the two rivers" - a reference to Iraq.

"The enemy - with God's blessings - is following the path laid out for (it)," the tape went on. "We are about to - with God's help - tighten the noose on it. And if the plan goes on as drawn, God willing, its results will be there for everyone to see."