A massive search is under way for the three missing soldiers.

Caldwell said nearby units heard explosions, and a drone plane later observed burning vehicles. He said forces that arrived at the scene found the five soldiers who were killed.

He did not say whether the five dead soldiers were all Americans, nor did he disclose the fate of the Iraqi army interpreter.

In other news, the military says coalition forces detained three suspected terrorists and destroyed a vehicle bomb during an operation Saturday in Sadr City.

On Friday, the U.S. commander in northern Iraq said he does not have enough manpower to secure the increasingly violent Diyala province. Major General Benjamin Mixon made the remarks to reporters at the Pentagon by videoconference.

In Baghdad Friday, suicide bombers killed at least 23 people and wounded 60 others in two attacks. They struck checkpoints protecting two bridges in the Zafaraniyah neighborhood. - VOA News