"They will stay there as long as necessary," the senior diplomat said on condition of anonymity.

A government statement said the team would join US units in northern Iraq and would keep Ankara updated on developments. The observers were expected to reach their areas of duty at 1300 GMT on Friday/

The move follows telephone conversations between US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul on Thursday as Washington sought to allay Ankara's concerns after Iraqi Kurds captured the oil-rich town of Kirkuk.

Ankara fears that control of local oil resources could embolden Iraqi Kurds to move towards independence, a prospect that could set an example to their restless kinsmen in adjoining southeastern Turkey.

Ankara had threatened to intervene militarily if Kirkuk and the other oil center of the region, Mosul, fell under Kurdish control.

The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), whose forces captured Kirkuk, said it would withdraw on Friday and hand over control of the city to US troops who have been sent to the area.

SPACE.WIRE