"US marines rescued seven American prisoners of war alive today after discovering their place of captivity north of Baghdad," MSNBC reported.

"The rescued prisoners, all US army soldiers, were reported in good condition, although two had suffered gunshot wounds," according to a report on The Washington Post website.

They were rescued near Samarrah, a town north of Baghdad, as the marines moved north toward Tikrit, the Post said.

The prisoners' guards were apparently deserted by their officers as US forces approached, and the guards themselves brought the prisoners to the marines, the Post reported, quoting an officer at US Marine headquarters southeast of Baghdad.

The rescued soldiers are being flown to a military medical facility near Baghdad, the report said.

Commander of US operations in Iraq General Tommy Franks said Sunday that "six or seven" prisoners of war had been found.

"I know they're in good shape, and I know that that they are in our hands and under our control now and that's very good," Franks told CNN in an interview.

"What I don't know is if they are from the ones we had listed as prisoners of war or whether they're from the missing category," Franks said.

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