May 22 (Reuters) - Following are security developments in Iraq at 1800 GMT on Thursday:

* Denotes new or updated item

* MOSUL - Police said five kidnapped Iraqi soldiers were found shot dead near the northern city of Mosul. A roadside bomb exploded as security forces went to investigate, wounding seven soldiers and two policemen, including a police lieutenant-colonel, police said.

BAIJI - Iraqi police said a U.S. helicopter airstrike killed eight civilians, including two children, near Baiji, 180 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad. U.S. forces acknowledged killing two children but said the six adults were militants suspected of links to a bombing network.

BAGHDAD - Two journalists were shot dead in different parts of Iraq. A cameraman from an Iraqi television station was shot dead in Baghdad, the station said, blaming the U.S. military. The body of an Iraqi newspaper journalist was found in Diyala province, north of Baghdad, a day after he had been kidnapped.

BAGHDAD - U.S. forces detained eight suspected insurgents during an operation against al Qaeda in Nineveh province in northern Iraq, the U.S. military said.

BAGHDAD - The bodies of five people were found in different Baghdad districts on Wednesday, police said.

(compiled by Aseel Kami; Editing by Tim Cocks)

AlertNet news is provided by