An American filmmaker who was imprisoned for nearly two months in Iraq by the US military before being cleared and freed is trying to secure the release of an Iraqi man he met in captivity.

US TROOPS killed 10 insurgents north of Baghdad yesterday, while 10 Iraqi troops died in two separate attacks in a surge of violence following a relative lull last week.

US troops killed 10 insurgents in an ethnically-mixed city north of Baghdad, while 10 Iraqi troops died in two separate attacks north-east of the capital in a surge of violence following a relative lull last week.

The US military in Iraq has detained five Americans for suspected insurgent activity, Pentagon officials said. The five have not been chargd or had access to a lawyer, and face an uncertain legal future.