Related: Two U.S. soldiers kidnapped in Iraq

   CAIRO, June 19 (Xinhua) -- A group linked to the al-Qaida terror group in Iraq announced on Monday that it had kidnapped two U.S. soldiers south of Baghdad, according to an Internet statement.

   "Your brothers in the military wing of the Mujahedeen Shura Council kidnapped two U.S. soldiers near Yousifiyah," said the group in a statement posted on a Web site frequently used byIslamist militants.

   The Council is an umbrella of Islamist militant groups in Iraq including the al-Qaida group in the country.

   "We will release more information in the coming days," added the statement, whose authenticity cannot be verified.

   The U.S. military said on Saturday that a U.S. soldier was killed and two others went missing on Friday when they were attacked by unidentified gunmen at a traffic checkpoint near thetown of Yousifiyah, about 20 km south of Baghdad.

   The U.S. military also said that the coalition forces were searching for the missing soldiers in the area.  Enditem