Troops 'liberate Iraqi captives'

More US troops have recently been sent to Diyala province

US and Iraqi troops have overrun an al-Qaeda camp near Baghdad and freed about 40 Iraqi civilians, the US military says.

Some had been tortured and suffered broken bones, US spokesman Lt Col Michael Donnelly told AFP news agency.

Some of the detainees had been there several months, Col Donnelly added.

The raid was part of a security crackdown in Diyala province, to the north of Baghdad, where more than 3,000 extra US troops have been deployed.

Col Michael Donnelly told AFP: "We had a combined operation with the Fifth Iraqi Army just south of Baquba and we came upon an al-Qaeda in Iraq prison camp or, if you will, a hideout.

"We immediately secured the area and got the prisoners or those that we rescued to safety," he added.

There were no immediate details about those held in the camp.

Meanwhile, eight US troops - seven soldiers and one marine - were killed in five separate attacks across Iraq, the US military said.