BAGHDAD, May 29 (Xinhua) -- Two U.S. soldiers were killed when a helicopter went down on Monday in the volatile Diyala province, the U.S. military said on Tuesday.

    The brief U.S. statement did not provide more information, but residents from villages near the town of Maqdadiyah, some 100 km northeast of Baghdad, said that there were fierce clashes on Monday night between U.S. troops and gunmen.

    They said that they saw a helicopter hit by gunfire and went down after caught fire near the village of Khiesa.