President Bush said on Thursday the killing of al Qaeda's leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, offers a chance to "turn the tide" in the war and that he will discuss the U.S. deployment in Iraq with Iraqi leaders next week.

Zarqawi's killing, which Bush said was carried out by U.S. special operations forces, gave the president a desperately needed success in Iraq and he quickly reacted to it in the White House Rose Garden.

Bush said the death of the Jordanian-born Zarqawi "is a severe blow to al Qaeda," a victory in the war on terrorism, "and it is an opportunity for Iraq's new government to turn the tide in this struggle."

"We have tough days ahead of us in Iraq that will require the continued patience of the American people. Yet the developments of the last 24 hours give us renewed confidence in the final outcome of this struggle, the defeat of terrorism threats and a more peaceful world for our children and grandchildren," he said.

Bush said he will discuss with U.S. and Iraqi officials next Tuesday how best to deploy U.S. resources in Iraq after Zarqawi's death.

Whether this was a hint of possible reductions in U.S. troops in Iraq was unclear. Bush, facing some of the lowest job approval ratings of his presidency, is under pressure to bring home some troops.

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