WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A Turkish envoy said here Wednesday it was American intelligence that made Turkey's latest raids in northern Iraq on Kurdish rebels possible.

    "There is no doubt that this operation was possible due to, of course, the information shared by the United States of America," Turkey's Ambassador to the United States Nabi Sensoy told reporters.

    Attaching great importance to U.S. intelligence sharing with Turkey, Sensoy declined to say whether the United States had directly pinpointed targets for Turkish warplanes.

    The Turkish envoy made the remarks one day after White House spokeswoman Dana Perino admitted that the United States shared intelligence about Kurdish militants with Turkey and Iraq.

    "We are coordinating with the Turkish and Iraqi authorities in the area. The PKK (Kurdish Workers' Party) is a threat to Turkey, to Iraq, and to the United States. So we continue to share information, share intelligence, with them.

    "The Turks have moved forward with our coordination and in communication with the Iraqis in order to eradicate that threat," Perino said.

    The United States, supporting Ankara's effort to fight the outlawed PKK operating at Turkey-Iraq border area, declined to condemn Turkey's unilateral incursion into Iraq on the PKK.

    The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, launched an armed campaign for an ethnic homeland in the mainly Kurdish southeastern Turkey in 1984, sparking decades of strife that has claimed more than 30,000 lives.

Pentagon: U.S. informed of Turkish air raid in N Iraq

    WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- The United States was informed by Turkey well before the latter launched weekend air raids in northern Iraq against Kurdish rebels, the Pentagon said Wednesday.

    "We had ample notification of the air strikes by the Turkish Air Force against PKK (Kurdish Workers' Party) positions in northern Iraq," Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said, confirming for the first time that Washington knew of Ankara's plans. Full story

Turkish army confirms ground incursion into N Iraq

    ANKARA, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish army confirmed on Tuesday that it carried out a "small-scale" incursion into northern Iraq to go after a group of outlawed Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) rebels who were trying to enter Turkey.

    Turkey's general staff said in a statement posted on its website that its troops crossed "several kilometers" into northern Iraq overnight and heavily pounded the rebels.

    The army didn't give the number of troops which entered Iraq but Turkish private broadcaster NTV reported earlier in the day that at least 300 Turkish troops entered northern Iraqi territories to fight PKK militants. Full story

Rice: U.S. concerned about Turkey's military action in Iraq

    BAGHDAD, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Tuesday that Washington is concerned about Turkey's activities that would cause destabilization in northern Iraq after Turkey launched two offensives against rebel troops this week.

    Rice, who arrived in Iraq Tuesday on a surprise visit, told a press conference that the U.S., Turkey and Iraq "share common interest of stopping the activity of PKK "which threatens stability in northern Iraqi and resulted in deaths in Turkey.

    She said the U.S. holds a constant stand that there should be "an overall comprehensive approach to the problem," and "no one should do anything that threatens to destabilize the north." Full story