Insurgents Down U.S. Copter, Killing 2

Militants have shot down a US helicopter during clashes south of Baghdad, killing two soldiers.

The US military says the incident took place near the village of Yusifiya 15 kilometres south of the Iraqi capital.

The area is a stronghold of Sunni Arab militants fighting against US and Iraqi forces.

"Two soldiers died ... when their helicopter was shot down during fighting in Yusifiya," a US statement said, giving no further details.

Early last month, a US combat helicopter was presumed to have been shot down in the same area, killing its two pilots.

Insurgents have used Yusifiya as a staging area for suicide attacks in Baghdad, according to US officials.

Late last month, the US military said it and Iraqi forces had killed more than 20 foreign insurgents, several of them wearing suicide vests, in raids in and around the village in the previous few weeks.

The United States has around 133,000 troops in Iraq, suffering daily casualties.

Also on Sunday, insurgents killed two US Marines in the rebellious western province of Anbar, the US military said in a separate statement on Monday.

-Reuters