The tribal chiefs were seized in the north Baghdad neighbourhood of Al-Shaab which has a strong presence of Shiite militiamen loyal to the Mahdi Army of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, the official told AFP.
Eight of them belonged to the Anbakiyah tribe, two to the Bayati tribe and one to the Al-Azza, he added.
He said the tribal leaders were part of a local movement against the Al-Qaeda in Iraq group.
Diyala and its capital Baquba have been a stronghold of Al-Qaeda in Iraq and the US military has launched a series of assualts there targeting its hideouts.
In the past few months, the US military has been supported by Sunni tribal leaders as well as nationalist former insurgents in its fight against Al-Qaeda in the province.
