Eight bodies were found north of Baghdad, including a Turkish national, police said on Thursday.

The bodies were found near the town of Balad on Wednesday and one of them was believed to be a Turk as he has a tattoo of " Turkey" on his body, police said.

The eight were abducted as they were heading to work at a US military base, some 10 km south of Balad, said the police, adding that most of the victims had their hands tied behind their backs and one of them had his throat cut while the others were shot dead.

Insurgents frequently target Iraqis and foreigners who work with US-led multinational forces, calling them collaborators.