WASHINGTON, Sept 13 (AFP) - The US administration said Monday the Iraqi government should answer questions about operations in the town of Tall Afar, which has led to Turkey threatening to withdraw cooperation in Iraq.
A US State Department official said the US-led multi-national force "is working in full cooperation with the Iraqi interim government."
The comment came after a new Turkish warning about attacks on the mostly Turkmen populated Tall Afar, in northern Iraq.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said Monday he had asked US Secretary of State Colin Powell to end fighting in the town, Turkey's Anatolia news agency reported.
The State Department said the last conversation between Gul and Powell was on Friday.
"I myself spoke to the American secretary of state," Gul was quoted as saying. "We stated very clearly that if it continues, Turkey will end its partnership on all areas concerning Iraq."
Gul condemned what he called "the excessive use of force against civilian populations" in the town that lies 75 kilometers (47 miles) from the Syrian border, Anatolia said.
The Turkish foreign ministry on Monday summoned US Ambassador Eric Edelman over Tall Afar.
The State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, insisted that any comment on the operation be addressed to the Iraqi government or the multi-national force.
US commanders claim Tall Afar is a key staging point for foreign fighters infiltrating Iraq via minor roads from the Syrian border to the west. They say an air and ground assault Thursday killed up to 57 "terrorists."