BAGHDAD - The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is confirming that "several" Americans are missing in Iraq after local media reported that three Americans had been kidnapped in the Iraqi capital.

U.S. Embassy spokesman Scott Bolz said Sunday that "We are working in full cooperation with Iraqi authorities to locate the missing Americans." Bolz did not identify the missing Americans or say what they were doing in Iraq.

State Department spokesman John Kirby says that "due to privacy considerations" he has nothing further to add about the missing Americans. But he says "The safety and security of Americans abroad is our highest priority."

The comments by U.S. officials came after the Arab news channel, al-Arabiya, citing its own sources, reported that three Americans had been kidnapped by militias in Baghdad.

Iraqi media reports said the Americans went missing in south Baghdad on their way to Baghdad International Airport.

The incident comes after a week that has seen a deterioration of security in and around the Iraqi capital after months of relative calm.