Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez said all the hostages were freed from the same location and that suspects were detained. There was no reported exchange of fire in rescuing the three Italians and a Pole.

Italy's Premier Silvio Berlusconi told Italian state television that the hostages were being transported aboard a coalition helicopter and would be flown back to Italy on Wednesday.

"This is a happy conclusion," Berlusconi told state TV.

The Italian hostages, who were in Iraq as private security guards, were abducted in April. A fourth Italian abducted with them was slain shortly after the kidnapping and his body later returned to Italy.

The Pole is a construction company official was abducted last week after seven men stormed the Baghdad office of the Jedynka construction company. Another Polish employee abducted at the same time managed to escape.

The abductions were part of a wave of kidnappings of foreigners sparked by intense violence that began in April. As many as 40 people from several nations were abducted, though most were later freed.

Americans still held hostage include truck drivers William Bradley, 50, of Chesterfield, N.H., and Timothy Bell of Mobile, Ala. They were taken captive April 9 when their fuel convoy was attacked outside Baghdad. Both work for the Halliburton subsidiary KBR.

A military man taking part in the convoy, Pfc. Keith M. Maupin of Batavia, Ohio, also remains missing.

Four KBR employees were killed in the attack, and another U.S. soldier in the convoy was found dead later. A seventh KBR employee, Thomas Hamill of Mississippi, escaped from his captors May 2.