BAGHDAD – Iraqi leaders warned Monday the country could collapse if American troops leave too quickly as pressure mounts in Washington to draw down U.S. combat forces. More threats to Iraqi stability could be looming to the north with Turkish forces gathering in a possible prelude to a cross-border attack against Kurdish rebels.

Iraq’s foreign minister said Turkey has massed 140,000 soldiers near Iraq – a figure immediately disputed by the Bush administration, which said satellite photos indicated no such buildup. Nevertheless, Turkey has been deploying troops on the border for several months, and the country’s foreign minister said last week that the government and military had agreed on detailed plans for a cross-border operation.

The White House said President Bush is not considering a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq now despite an erosion of support among Republicans for his war policy. A report is due Sunday on whether the Iraqi government is meeting political, economic and security benchmarks that Bush set in January when he ordered 21,500 more U.S. combat forces to Iraq.

Three prominent Republicans – Sens. Richard Lugar of Indiana, George Voinovich of Ohio and Pete Domenici of New Mexico – said they can no longer support Bush’s Iraq strategy and have called on the president to start reducing the military’s role.

That drew a sharp response from Iraq’s foreign minister, who warned that a speedy U.S. military withdrawal could lead to all-out civil war, the collapse of the government and spread conflict across the Middle East.

“We have held discussion with members of Congress and explained to them the dangers of a quick pullout and leaving a security vacuum,” said Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. “The dangers could be a civil war, dividing the country, regional wars and the collapse of the state.”

AP correspondents Yahya Barzanji and Pauline Jelinek contributed to this report.