MOSUL, Nov 26: Fifteen more bodies have been found in and around Mosul this week, said US and Iraqi officials on Friday, bringing to at least 40 the number of corpses discovered in the northern city.

The new bodies have not been identified, but the ones found before belonged mostly to Iraqi soldiers in what US military commanders say is a campaign by militants to spread fear among members of the fledgling force and ordinary citizens.

"Twelve more unidentified bodies were found by multinational forces conducting patrolling operations on the western side of the city," said military spokesman Lt Col Paul Hastings.

He said this was in addition to the three bodies, including one of a Kurd and member of Iraq's security forces, found on Thursday near a mosque in the New Mosul neighbourhood and at the Al Yarmuk roundabout on the city's western side. "Iraqi security forces have been targeted by religious extremist elements to spread fear," added Col Hastings. -AFP