Two US soldiers were killed when their helicopter was shot down north of Baghdad, according to the US military Friday.

Two helicopters were under attack by small arms fire at 22:50 (1850 GMT) while supporting coalition forces near Baquba, 56 km northeast of Baghdad, the military said in a statement.

One of two OH-58 Kiowa crashed by the fire, killing two US soldiers, while the second landed safely at a nearby base after sustaining damage, the statement added.

The US forces rushed to the scene and secured the site, said the statement, adding the incident was under investigation.

Insurgents in Iraq frequently attack US aircraft and have downed several helicopters before.

Source: Xinhua