In a shocking turn Sunday, Iraqi television has broadcast footage of five prisoners they said were American, along with images of at least four bodies, also said to be U.S. soldiers. The images were shown on Iraqi television, relayed by Al-Jazeera, an Arabic television network.

The prisoners in the video, some visibly injured, were questioned on air and gave their names, military identification numbers and home towns. The soldiers, which included a woman, were also asked to explain why they were fighting in Iraq. 

Two of the prisoners identified their unit as the 507th Maintenance, which is based in Fort Bliss, Texas. The unit is part of the Army's 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade.

They are the first U.S. prisoners known to have been taken by Iraq.

The Pentagon confirms that a number of American soldiers have been captured or killed in a battle near the southern Iraqi city of Nassiriya, about 375 km southeast of Baghdad, where U.S. marines are fighting for control.

Brig Gen. Vincent Brooks said coalition forces met an Iraqi unit outside Nassiriyah that appeared to be surrendering. The coalition forces came under fire while preparing to accept the soldiers.

The Iraqi military says 25 American soldiers were killed in the fighting with the irregular guerrilla fighters, known as Saddam Hussein's Fedayeen. U.S. Lt.-Gen. John Abizaid told a media briefing in Doha, Qatar, that 12 U.S. service members are reported missing in the ambush.

He said the fighting at Nassiriya was the "sharpest engagement of the war thus far."

The Pentagon says it's trying to sort out how many soldiers are in Iraqi hands.

U.S. President George Bush said he expected the prisoners to be treated humanely.

"We expect them to be treated humanely just like we are treating the prisoners of theirs that we capture humanely," Bush told reporters Sunday afternoon.

Iraq said it would respect the Geneva Convention.

"Iraq will not harm the captured prisoners of war," Defence Minister Sultan Hashim Ahmed told a news conference. "It will treat them in accordance with the Geneva Convention on prisoners of war."

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was shown the footage on CBS's "Face the Nation."  He pointed out that the Geneva Convention prohibits the photographing or interrogation by media of those captured in battle.

"That's a violation of the Geneva Convention, those pictures you showed," Rumsfeld said.

Ret. Maj-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie tells CTV that broadcasting the images of frightened soldiers is considered humiliation under the Convention.

"But at least this is an act that doesn't threaten the POWs lives. I hope they won't do what they did to the folks they caught in the Gulf War, when they abused them," MacKkenzie said.

The International Committee of the Red Cross agreed that the television footage violated the Geneva Convention.

"Article 13 of the Third Geneva Convention says clearly that prisoners of war must at all times be protected... against insult and public curiosity," said ICRC spokeswoman Nada Doumani.

Rumsfeld said the capture of prisoners would not alter U.S. war plans, saying display of such footage was "obviously part of Iraqi propaganda."

"And responding to Iraqi propaganda is not what the United States armed forces are about," he said.

Others missing?

In Baghdad, there were reports that aircraft belonging to U.S.-led forces was shot down over the city and that coalition pilots ejected.

Television reports showed Iraqi soldiers shooting into the Tigris river while other drove in boats, apparently searching the water for the pilots. Arab television showed troops patrolling the riverbank and firing weapons into the water while smoke rose from a fire on the riverbank.

Al-Jazeera quoted witnesses who said two allied pilots had parachuted into Baghdad and that troops were searching for them. Crowds and television cameras gathered quickly, and hundreds attempted to join the search. Police pushed people back and cordoned off the roads leading to the area.

Rumsfeld said he had no information about the Iraq news media report and suggested that the search in Baghdad was staged.