Efforts are underway to defuse rising tensions between Turkey and Kurds living in northern Iraq. The U.S. has established a commission to co-ordinate military activity in the region.

The commission is being set up in the Turkish town of Silopi on the Iraqi-Turkish border, and will include Kurdish-Iraqi, American and Turkish officials.

Turkey has a large number of soldiers massed on its border with Iraq to prevent the Kurds from declaring an autonomous state. The Turkish government fears a Kurdish state in Iraq could lead to similar demands for independence from its own Kurdish minority.

Tension rises in Turkey

On Saturday, there were unconfirmed reports that 1,500 Turkish commandos had moved into northern Iraq. The Turkish army chief denied its forces entered Iraq.

The U.S. government has lobbied Turkey not to send forces into Iraq. The U.S. fears Turkish intervention could lead to fighting between Iraqi Kurds and Turkey.