"It is good news," said Brigadier-General Vincent Brooks at the US Central Command's headquarters at Camp As-Saliyah, adding, "They are under observation right now medically."

US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in an interview with NBC television: "They are in good health. Two have gunshot wounds but basically they are in good shape."

Rumsfeld said US marines were approached by Iraqis south of Tikrit and told where the Americans were.

"The families of these seven are in the process of being notified," he said.

In its latest casualty toll, the Pentagon listed seven known prisoners of war and 10 missing, a category that generally means it has not been determined definitively whether they are dead or captured.

"I got a report that six or seven people we had listed as missing" were found, Central Command chief and commander of US forces in the Gulf General Tommy Franks told CNN earlier, adding, "I know they're in good shape and I know they're in our hands and under our control now."

CNN, quoting a reporter at the scene, said the seven were taken to a field hospital about 65 miles (105 kilometres) south of Baghdad and were then being flown to Kuwait for further medical testing and debriefing.

CNN said all seven were able to walk on their own, but two appeared to be more seriously injured and limped to the plane at the base, while the other five ran.

Quoting relatives, it said two were the crew of a downed Apache helicopter and at least three were survivors of an ambush of the 507th Maintenance Company soon after the war began on March 20.

The parents of Chief Warrant Officer Ronald Young Jr., one of the helicopter pilots, said they recognized their son in video footage shown on CNN. A Pentagon representative gave them the official confirmation about a half-hour later at their Lithia Springs, Georgia, home, CNN said.

"I'm ecstatic," Ronald Young Sr. was quoted as saying.

"The main thing to me is knowing he's all right," Young said. "It's a relief. You just don't know how much it is. It's almost like Christmas, New Year's and everything all rolled into one."

They said they also recognized Chief Warrant Officer David Williams, who was in the helicopter with Young. They said Williams' wife told them she also saw him.

The families of Sergeant James Riley, Specialist Shoshana Johnson and Specialist Joseph Hudson of the 507th Maintenance Company also said they received official word Sunday that their relatives had been freed, according to CNN.

Riley, Johnson and Hudson were three out of five prisoners of war who were shown talking nervously to Iraqi interrogators on Iraqi and Al-Jazeera television, which brought strong protests from Washington.

Another member of the 507th was Private Jessica Lynch, 19, who was rescued by US special forces from Iraqi captivity in a hospital in the southern city of Nasiriyah on April 1.

The bodies of eight of her comrades who had initially been listed as missing in action were also found in the hospital.

Franks told Britain's Sky television, "What I'm told is that someone came up to our marines who were moving along the road headed toward Tikrit, and said, 'here shortly you're going to come into contact with a number of Americans and just so you know they're there', and so the tip came from an Iraqi and so I believe our guys picked them up on the road."

In Baghdad earlier a US commander who asked not to be named said, "What is believed to be six American soldiers from the army have been rescued from Iraqi forces after being held as prisoners of war about 60 mileskilometres) north of Baghdad."

He had said they were being sent to a trauma platoon in Baghdad but other officers later told AFP the order had been changed and that they were going to a military medical facility in the Iraqi town of An-Numaniyah.

It was unclear why, but one said they were suffering from dehydration.

No names or further details were released.

The Washington Post for its part said the seven were turned over to the US military by their guards after their officers deserted.

"The rescued prisoners, all US army soldiers listed as missing in action since the early days of the war in Iraq, are reported in good condition. Two had suffered gunshot wounds," the report said.

They were rescued near Samarra, a town some 100 kilometres north of Baghdad, the Post said.

The guards evidently were deserted by their officers and gave up their prisoners themselves, it added, quoting a US officer in the field.

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