Romanian police have launched a military-style operation to keep prostitutes away from US troops.

Officers in Constanta are running round-the-clock patrols and raiding brothels to stop prostitutes meeting US soldiers who have recently arrived at a nearby airbase.

Head of the Constanta police, Traian Jipa, told Libertatea: "We have organised day and night raids and patrols in areas where prostitutes usually gather.

"We want to test all the prostitutes we can to see if they have any sexually transmitted diseases.

"We have already taken 10 girls aged 19 to 33 into custody and tests have showed that they all have syphilis. They are a real danger to anyone's health."

The paper said officers feared prostitutes from other parts of the country could be heading to the city to "make a fast buck" by having sex with American soldiers.

Over 4,000 US soldiers are currently based in Constanta as the build-up for a possible attack on Iraq continues. Local media say another 1,000 troops will arrive next week.