U.S. Troops Pull Out With Warning to Iraq : Persian Gulf: The Pentagon tells Baghdad that any attack on Kurds will trigger an armed response.

The Bush Administration on Friday sternly warned Iraq of its willingness to use a new border strike force if the Iraqi government resumes attacks on Kurds or engages in other aggressive conduct after the U.S. troop pullout from the country ends Monday.

The U.S. military began withdrawing the last of its troops from northern Iraq on Friday. The United States and its coalition partners, who are turning military security over to the multinational force based in neighboring Turkey, have “laid down a marker” with Iraq, Pentagon spokesman Pete Williams told reporters.

“We have made it clear to Iraq that we maintain the capability and the willingness to undertake future action and further action if necessary,” Williams declared. “ . . . The coalition retains a clear interest in peace within Iraq and is willing to respond militarily to Iraqi actions that disturb the peace.”

In particular, the Pentagon spokesman said, the United States and its allies will act to prevent Iraq from flying planes or helicopters over northern Iraq above the 36th Parallel.

He also cautioned that Iraqi troops, police and border patrols must keep out of the smaller security zone north of the 36th Parallel that was earlier set aside for the security of the Kurds. And he warned that Iraq must not interfere in any way with continuing relief efforts for the Kurds.

Pentagon officials confirmed Friday that the Administration has drawn up contingency plans for air strikes on a number of targets inside Iraq. Williams would not discuss those targets, other than to suggest that such targets would be military rather than civilian or industrial.

“If you want to know what our behavior is, go back to the war and look at whether we targeted civilian or military targets,” he said.

The Pentagon spokesman refused to say how long the multinational force will remain in Turkey.

“We will leave this force in place as long as we think it’s appropriate,” he said. “But I can’t lay out for you here all the litmus tests that we would have to go through to make that decision.”

Williams said the United States has discussed with Kurdish representatives its decision to pull its troops out of Iraq. “I suspect the Kurds would like us to stay there (in Iraq) forever, but clearly that is not in the cards, and I think they understand what we are doing, and they support it,” he said.

The Pentagon spokesman said the multinational force will contain nearly 3,000 ground troops, along with additional forces manning combat helicopters, tank-killing aircraft and combat jets from an American aircraft carrier.

Other Iraq developments, as reported by wire services:

* A special U.N. mission in Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, said Friday it will recommend that U.N. sanctions against the Iraqis be eased to allow them to buy essential food and medicine.

“Sanctions were not designed to make the people of Iraq suffer in the way they are suffering now,” said Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan, the U.N. envoy heading the delegation.

Members of Sadruddin’s team told a news conference of poor hospital conditions and of families selling all their possessions to get food. Sadruddin said it will be up to the U.N. Sanctions Committee to decide whether to ease the restrictions.

However, two Tufts University researchers who visited southern Iraq in late June under UNICEF sponsorship said there are no signs of immediate famine. Jean Mayer, president of the Boston-based university, said evidence was found of long-term malnutrition perpetrated by the Baghdad government. He said the government “appears to be using food as a weapon by cutting off the shipment of food and medical supplies to the southern part of the country.”

Iraq has repeatedly asked the U.N. Sanctions Committee for permission to sell more than $1 billion worth of oil to buy essential goods.

* At the United Nations, diplomats said Iraq’s ambassador was summoned by the five permanent members of the Security Council and told to provide a complete list of Iraqi nuclear installations and materials or face the consequences.

The diplomats said the five nations--the United States, Britain, China, France and the Soviet Union--were not specific as to the consequences, but the United States has not ruled out military action if Baghdad ignores Security Council mandates.

President Hussein last week promised to deliver a complete account of his country’s nuclear information and materials. On Sunday, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry delivered to U.N. officials 29 pages of lists, charts and explanations and said the program was mainly for peaceful purposes.

* Foreign diplomats and other sources in Baghdad said Hussein, fearing a coup, has executed scores of top military officers and thinned the ranks of his ruling Arab Baath Socialist Party in another purge.

* Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani said his talks with Hussein on Thursday were “excellent” and cleared some obstacles to a Kurdish autonomy deal.