The U.S. military in Iraq says coalition forces have killed eight terrorists and detained 29 others in raids across the country.

A military statement says troops killed five terrorists during raids north of Baghdad Monday targeting an al-Qaida in Iraq leader involved in car bomb attacks. 

The U.S. military says coalition forces acted on intelligence from that operation and carried out more raids Tuesday, killing three terrorists.  Troops also captured 15 suspected al-Qaida in Iraq terrorists in operations in Tikrit, Mosul and Bayji.

Separately, the military announced Tuesday that troops detained a commander of the Mahdi Army, which is loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.  A statement said the suspect is believed to command terrorists who carried out attacks against Iraqi forces.

The military also said a roadside bomb killed a U.S. soldier in Baghdad Monday.

It says the soldier's vehicle hit an armor-piercing roadside bomb.

U.S. officials have accused Iran of supplying armor-piercing weapons called explosively formed penetrators (EFPs),  to Shi'ite militias in Iraq  - a charge Tehran denies.

On Monday, U.S. and Iranian officials held a third round of talks in Baghdad, in what American diplomats describe as "frank and serious" discussions about Iraq's security.
 
It was also the first time a new expert-level committee of U.S., Iranian and Iraqi officials met to discuss efforts to stabilize Iraq.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP .