WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States insisted on Tuesday that it was working closely with Turkey on a whole range of issues regarding Iraq amid reports that Turkey warned that it would halt all cooperation in Iraq if US forces continued attacking the mostly Turkoman-populated Iraqi town of Tall Afar.

    "I would just reiterate that we do work very closely with Turkey on a whole range of issues regarding Iraq. Turkey's government has reiterated to us and I think in public as well, that they want this cooperation to continue," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said at a news briefing.

    Boucher admitted that Turkey had concerns about the military operation by the US-led multinational forces in Tall Afar, a place Boucher said was used by the terrorists as a transit point and as a safe haven for launching attacks elsewhere in Iraq.

    "The Turkish government has been concerned about the Turkoman civilians ...because many of them had to flee due to the insurgent presence and the fighting that has ensued because of that," Boucher said.

    Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul warned the United States on Monday that it would halt all cooperation in Iraq if US forces continued attacking Tall Afar, a city in northern Iraq.

    "We stated very clearly that if it continues, Turkey will end its partnership on all areas concerning Iraq," Gul said.

    Boucher said the United States had talked to the Iraqi government about the civilian population in Tall Afar and "how to conduct our operations in a way that does not cause trouble for the local civilian population." Enditem