The United States on Tuesday cast doubt on Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili’s claims that Russia was involved in stirring up civil strife in the crisis-torn Caucasus nation.

Provincial officials said on Monday that Iraqi forces will take over security for Babel province south of Baghdad next month, but the U.S. military said it was not aware of any plans to transfer control.

Turkish military helicopters bombed villages in northern Iraq in strikes directed against Kurdish rebels, two Turkish television channels reported on Tuesday.