Report: U.S. aiding Turkey in Iraq raids

WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Turkey's raids on rebel Kurds in Iraq are being helped by U.S. intelligence and satellite imagery, The Washington Post quoted Pentagon officials as saying.

A senior official told the Post the goal of the U.S. program is to identify the movements and activities of the Kurdish Workers' Party, known as the PKK, who have been attacking Turkish border targets in their quest for an independent nation.

Sunday, Turkey staged a major airstrike into northern Iraq to attack rebel Kurdish bases, which drew outrage from Baghdad as a violation of sovereignty.

Those targets were reportedly provided by the United States, the report said.

Another military official said while the United States didn't officially condone the Turkish attack and a similar one by ground troops Tuesday, the intelligence was asked for and shared.

The news creates a diplomatic curiosity in that Iraq receives 70 percent of its air cargo and a third of its fuel through Turkey, and also pits the United States against Iraqi Kurds, who have been allies in battling Iraq's insurgency, the Post said.