Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has expressed Malaysia's concern about the rising violence in Iraq and said he was saddened by the number of civilian deaths.

"Malaysia is worried that military action has been taken without considering local religious sensitivities and culture," he was quoted as saying by the official Bernama news agency.

Hundreds of people have been killed this week in fierce fighting between US-led coalition troops and radicals from both the Sunni and Shia Muslim communities opposed to the occupation in Iraq.

Malaysia, which chairs the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), also said it was willing to host a special meeting on Iraq.

"I have asked my officials to get in touch with some of the OIC countries. If they think that there is usefulness in having a meeting, we'll do that," Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said.

Role of UN

Syed Hamid said that apart from discussing the situation in Iraq, the OIC gathering could touch on the role of the United Nations in the war-torn country.

"Obviously the peace that has been promised and the stability that is hoped for is not happening in Iraq," he said.

OIC members preferred the speedy withdrawal of US troops and that the task of rebuilding Iraq be handled by the UN, he said.

While Iraqis feel subjugated, "then this will not help to achieve peace in their homeland," he said.

Malaysia has in the past opposed the US-led intervention in Iraq. - AFP