Updated

Three beheaded bodies were found Wednesday on a road north of Baghdad, authorities said.

There were no documents on the bodies discovered on the road near Dijiel, about 25 miles north of Baghdad, said Col. Adnan Abdul-Rahman, an Interior Ministry official.

He said the bodies were all male and had old tattoos.

A U.S. military official speaking on condition of anonymity said the bodies appeared to be Iraqis and that their hands were tied behind their backs.

Master Sgt. Robert Powell, a spokesman for the 1st Infantry Division (search), said troops discovered the bodies of the three civilians along a highway at about 7:26 a.m.

"The soldiers secured the area as a crime scene until Iraqi police could investigate," he said "The Iraqi police currently have custody of the bodies and the identity of the bodies has not been established."

The heads were near the bodies, he said.