A US military helicopter lost in Iraq on Saturday is believed to have been shot down and the two pilots are feared dead, the US military has said.

The Apache Longbow was lost near Yussifiya, south of Baghdad, at 1730 local time (1330 GMT) on Saturday.

An insurgent group said it carried out the attack, in an unverified statement on the internet.

The latest deaths come as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Iraq for talks with political leaders.