Turkey Monday denied media reports it had closed its southern border gate with northern Iraq in response to the independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan, but said strict controls were in place.

"Habur border gate has not been closed," Customs Minister Bulent Tufenkci was quoted as saying by the state-run Anadolu news agency. "A tight control is in place for security reasons."

Witnesses in the region also said the border gate remained open but cross-border traffic was slow