BAGHDAD — Iraqi troops have detained 46 suspected militants and killed five others in a new operation in eastern Diyala, the army said Saturday, while a U.S. soldier was reported killed in an explosion in the volatile province.

In violence Saturday, a bomb left on a minibus also exploded shortly after noon in the predominantly Shiite area of Baladiyat in eastern Baghdad, killing at least five Iraqis and wounding 11, police said.

U.S. and Iraqi forces have stepped up efforts in recent weeks against the violence in Diyala, particularly in the provincial capital, Baqouba, 35 miles northeast of Baghdad. Sunni and Shiite extremists fled to the area as U.S. and Iraqi forces began an offensive in the capital.

The Iraqi army said the operation launched Wednesday in several areas and villages in eastern Diyala, which is near the Iranian border, also led to the freeing of a kidnap victim and the discovery of two car bombs and six other explosive devices, as well as the capture of 46 suspects and the killing of five others.

A roadside bomb killed a U.S. soldier in Diyala province on Friday, the American military said in a separate statement that provided no details.