Air strikes target Al Qaida

Baghdad: Two women were among 20 suspected Al Qaida militants killed during a ground and air operation in Iraq on Friday, the US military said.

Local officials, however, said that the strikes killed more than two dozen innocent civilians, mostly women and children.

The air strikes come a day after US President George W. Bush said he will consider calls for a major strategy change in Iraq.

Coalition troops raided the Thar Thar area, north of Baghdad when they came under militant attack. A clash ensued, killing two suspects.

The military reported that forces targeted the area following intelligence reports that suspected Al Qaida-linked terrorists were in the area.

Militants reportedly continued to open fire, "causing forces to call in close air support... resulting in 18 more armed terrorists killed."

The military said that troops found multiple weapons caches consisting of machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades, explosives and suicide vests.

Meanwhile, Bush said on Thursday that he will consider calls for a major strategy change in Iraq.

Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair - who will be heading to the Middle East in efforts to solve the Arab-Israeli conflict - acknowledged on Thursday that the situation in Iraq "is bad".

The two leaders met a day after an Iraq Study Group report said that their war policies had failed and that Iran and Syria must be involved.