ANKARA, March 5 (Reuters) - Turkey said on Thursday that it was closely following the actions of the Iranian Kurdish PJAK militant group, which it said threatened Iran's security and regional stability, amid reports of discussions between Iranian Kurdish militias and Washington about the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran.

On Tuesday, sources told Reuters that the Iranian Kurdish groups had consulted with the U.S. about whether, and how, to attack Iran's security forces in the western part of the country.

Britain is sending additional fighter jets to Qatar amid the widening war in the Middle East, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Thursday as his defence minister visited Cyprus.

The four Typhoon planes will join an existing UK squadron in the Gulf state "to strengthen our defensive operations in Qatar and across the region", Starmer told reporters.

The announcement came after Defence Secretary John Healey arrived in Cyprus following a drone strike on a UK air base on the Mediterranean island earlier this week.

By Mubasher Bukhari and Saad Sayeed

LAHORE, March 5 (Reuters) - Pakistan's efforts to preserve close ties with President Donald Trump are being put to the test after protesters stormed the U.S. consulate in Karachi last week and poured onto streets elsewhere over the killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in U.S. and Israeli strikes.

Africa hosts military bases within reach of Iranian missiles and is feeling the impact of rising oil prices and threats to shipping, as the continent again suffers from events largely beyond its control.

The continent is "structurally exposed" to the Middle East war, said Hubert Kinkoh, senior researcher at the CARPO think tank.

"Energy imports, foreign military bases, and its proximity to maritime chokepoints mean the war's effects reach African shores quickly."

- Targets -

GALLE, Sri Lanka, March 5 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka is trying to "safeguard lives" on another Iranian ship off its coast, the country's cabinet spokesperson said on Thursday, adding that the vessel was in the economic zone beyond the South Asian island nation's territorial waters.

"We are doing our utmost to safeguard lives," spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa said.

(Reporting by Uditha Jayasinghe, writing by Sakshi Dayal; Editing by YP Rajesh)

Here are the latest main events related to the war in the Middle East:

- Sisi says Egypt in 'state of near-emergency' -

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said his country was in an economic "state of near-emergency" as he warned of runaway inflation.

At a military academy event, Sisi added that price-gouging traders could be tried in military courts, according to a statement from his spokesman.

- NATO raises missile defence posture -

The raging Iran war, which has spread across the Middle East and beyond, entered its seventh day Friday after Israeli forces announced a "next phase" in the conflict and bombed Beirut's southern suburbs.

The Israeli military had earlier issued an unprecedented evacuation warning for the entire area -- "save your lives and evacuate your residences immediately" -- that sent residents fleeing in panic.

By Allison Lampert, Lisa Baertlein and Julie Zhu

March 5 (Reuters) - Shipments ranging from fresh produce to airplane parts are in limbo as an escalating Middle East conflict reduces the world's air cargo capacity by more than one-fifth and pushes up freight rates, with executives bracing for backlogs of goods.

The U.S. and Israeli air war against Iran has grounded passenger and freighter flights across the region, including in key global air cargo hubs Doha and Dubai.

By Parisa Hafezi, Pesha Magid and Tuvan Gumrukcu

DUBAI/JERUSALEM/ANKARA, March 5 (Reuters) - Iran launched a wave of missiles at Israel early on Thursday, sending millions of residents into bomb shelters as the U.S.-Israel war with Iran entered its sixth day and just hours after moves to halt the U.S. air assault were blocked in Washington.

By Uditha Jayasinghe

GALLE, Sri Lanka, March 5 (Reuters) - Iranian sailors who survived a U.S. submarine strike in the Indian Ocean were recovering at a hospital in the Sri Lankan port city of Galle, authorities said on Thursday, a day after at least 87 were killed in the attack.

Authorities at the National Hospital in Galle and navy sources said 87 bodies were brought in by military rescuers who responded to an early-morning distress call from the IRIS Dena on Wednesday.