Uludere intel came from US: report

ISTANBUL

Pentagon. Hürriyet photo

The botched Uludere raid that killed 34 civilians in December 2011 was conducted after receiving intelligence from U.S. officials, The Wall Street Journal has reported.

U.S. authorities notified their Turkish counterparts after one of their own drones "spotted the men and pack animals," according to the report. The location, known as a route frequented by Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants, prompted U.S. officials to pass on the information.

"The Turks made the call," a U.S. officer told The Wall Street Journal. "It wasn't an American decision."

The report further mentioned the military collaboration between U.S. and Turkish forces, including U.S. drone flights that have been part of that arrangement since 2007. 

The 34 victims at Uludere, most of them teenagers, were bombed after being mistaken for militants of the outlawed PKK, but were actually local villagers involved in the smuggling of small goods from Iraq – a widespread practice in the impoverished region.