Kurdish guerrillas ready for the northern front

Hundreds of American troops have parachuted into northern Iraq in what the Pentagon says is the start of the northern front.

They came down in the night at an airfield at Harir, 75 km (45 miles) from the main Kurdish town of Irbil.

Reporters at the scene say the paratroopers were greeted by Kurdish guerrilla fighters, who had been expecting them, and they began digging in as soon as they arrived.

Special forces have been operating on the ground in advance of the mission, and Pentagon officials say tanks and other armoured vehicles will follow soon.

NORTHERN FRONT

A key aim of the new northern front is to prevent the Iraqi military from being able to concentrate its defences on the American-led forces in the south of the country.

It is not clear what role the Kurdish guerrillas will play in any northern campaign.

But soon after the arrival of the US forces there were reports that guerrillas had taken an important position near the oil centre of Kirkuk.

Local people told the BBC the Kurds advanced after Iraqi troops withdrew from a ridge overlooking the eastern approaches to the city.

There are also unconfirmed reports that government forces massacred hundreds of tribesmen at the town of Hawi Jah, near Kirkuk, after they refused to fight alongside them in the northern front.

Guerrillas from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan said government forces first visited the town on Tuesday evening, then returned early on Wednesday when the alleged killings took place.

Because of Turkish sensitivities about the Kurds moving forward, it had been agreed that they would concentrate on maintaining control of their own area.

But they have put themselves at the disposal of the American forces, as an independent Iraqi opposition force.

The prospects of that offer being taken up will depend on the complex negotiations between the US and Turkey.

The BBC's Jim Muir, in northern Iraq, says there is no question at the moment of the US forces starting a quick move down to Baghdad as there are several important objectives and obstacles along the way.

Hard fight expected

There are the two big cities of Mosul and Kirkuk with major oilfields, which will be a priority to secure.

Further south there is the city of Tikrit, the birthplace and seat of Saddam Hussein, the heartland of his Sunni-based regime and a place the Iraqis will fight hard to defend.

The northern front was an important part of the US war plan but it has been frustrated by disagreement with Turkey.