"We do not think that it would be the best place for troops to go into Iraq from Turkey at this time. We think that we can handle this situation without that being necessary," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters.

Turkey on Tuesday threatened a military incursion in northern Iraq as part of stepped up measures against Kurdish rebel bases in the region.

The government said in a statement that it had given orders allowing for all legal, economic and political measures, "including a cross-border operation if necessary," against a "terrorist organization in a neighboring country."

The statement was taken to refer implicitly to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and Iraq.

Perino stressed that "we have said that we want to work with the Turkish government and the Iraqis, the Iraqi government, to eradicate the terrorist problem there in northern Iraq."

Tuesday the United States also advised Ankara against the idea.

"I am not sure that unilateral incursions are the way to go, the way to resolve the issue," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack.

"We have counseled them both in public and private for many, many months (on) the idea that it is important to work cooperatively to resolve this issue," McCormack added.

Earlier Tuesday, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had met senior government and military officials to discuss tougher action against the PKK -- listed as a terrorist group by Ankara and much of the international community -- after the rebels killed 15 soldiers in weekend attacks.

Ankara says the PKK enjoys free movement in northern Iraq and obtains weapons and explosives there for attacks across the border.

It has also accused Iraqi Kurds of tolerating and even supporting the rebels.