Via AP:

BAGHDAD - U.S. and Iraqi forces exchanged fire with suspected Sunni insurgents on Monday, killing two and wounding four of them during a massive search for three missing American soldiers in a volatile area south of Baghdad, the Iraqi army said.

An al-Qaida front group, the Islamic State in Iraq, claimed Sunday that it had captured U.S soldiers in a deadly attack on a U.S. convoy the day before in Sunni area south of Baghdad that is known as the "triangle of death" _ a longtime al-Qaida stronghold.

Meanwhile, 4,000 U.S. troops backed by aircraft, intelligence units and Iraqi forces were scouring the farming area around Mahmoudiya and the nearby town of Youssifiyah for the third day, as the military promised to make every effort available to find the missing soldiers.

The Islamic State in Iraq (ISI) is responsible for the recent kidnappings and videotaped murders of Iraqi soldiers and police officers. It also claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and murder of two American soldiers last summer. It is an umbrella group of Sunni militias including the Mujahideen Shura Council in Iraq, Conquering Army (Jeish al-Fatiheen), Soldiers of the Prophet Muhammad (Jund al-Sahaba), and Brigades of Al-Tawhid Wal Sunnah. It aims to overthrow the current Iraqi government and replace it with an Islamic caliphate.

UPDATE: Al-Qaida to U.S.: Stop searching for missing soldiers

BAGHDAD — An al-Qaida front group that claims it has captured American soldiers warned the United States on Monday to stop searching for them and suggested it attacked the U.S. convoy as revenge for the rape and murder of a local teenager last year.

The U.S. military also said for the first time it believes the three missing soldiers were abducted by al-Qaida-linked militants after an attack that included three roadside bombs.

"What you are doing in searching for your soldiers will lead to nothing but exhaustion and headaches. Your soldiers are in our hands. If you want their safety, do not look for them," the Islamic State of Iraq said on a militant Web site.

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