Turkey says U.S. failing to stop Kurdish militants

By Kristin Roberts

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has failed to stop Kurdish militants inside Iraq from launching strikes against Turkey, and Ankara is nearly out of patience, Turkey's ambassador in Washington warned on Wednesday.

Ambassador Nabi Sensoy said Turkey would not rule out military action inside Iraq, reiterating statements from other senior Turkish officials.

He said Washington has not used its influence with either the Iraqi central government or Kurdish allies to stop militant activity on the Turkish border, and suggested that U.S. arms were being used by the militants attacking Turkey.

"We know that the United States is supplying arms to the northern Iraqi administration and it is just possible that they have been ending up in the hands of the terrorist organization," Sensoy told reporters.

He stressed he did not believe the United States is funnelling weapons to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants who are using Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region as a springboard for attacks on Turkey.

But he accused Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani of actively supporting the PKK, which is labelled a terrorist group by both Turkey and the United States, but not Iraq.

He said Barzani was giving the PKK safe haven, food, weapons and equipment.

"I think the Turkish people have shown enough patience. The Turkish government has shown not only patience but enough restraint as far as I can see," the ambassador said.