BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- U.S. forces have freed 42 Iraqi citizens who were kidnapped, held by al Qaeda in Iraq for as long as four months and possibly tortured, a U.S. military spokesman said Sunday.
U.S. forces received a tip on where the hostages were held, said Lt. Col. Christopher Garver.
"There was some evidence of torture," he said.
Garver said he believed the kidnappings were part of al Qaeda's "fear and intimidation" campaign against Iraqi civilians.
"They will take members of a community, and hold them, trying to get the community to act in ways they want with the threat of killing these hostages," Garver said.
"We don't see much from al Qaeda in terms of actual monetary gain coming out of kidnappings, but we do see them trying to use kidnappings to hold whole communities hostage."
Some detainees had broken bones and are being treated for their injuries, he said.
"Some had stated that they had been hung from the ceiling," he said.
The overnight raid took place in Iraq's Diyala province, north of Baghdad, Garver said.
The military spokesman said tips that come from Iraqi citizens, including the one that led to the Diyala raid, are a sign of the growing trust with the U.S. military.
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