Engineers in the Kurdish self-rule area of northern Iraq are upgrading airstrips to make them key elements in the logistical and emergency support network for the planned US air and ground offensive against Iraqi forces to the south.
As part of US preparations for the campaign to oust Saddam Hussein, American military observers in Iraqi Kurdistan, which has been free from Baghdad’s control since 1991, have been taking a close interest in the work at three airstrips: Bermani in the north of the autonomous region, Harir in the centre, and Sulaymaniyah to the east.
The runways, which were visited by the Guardian last week, form part of a rudimentary aviation infrastructure in Kurdistan, some of which dates back to the British mandate in Iraq in the 1920s.
Sources close to the Kurdish leadership said the US would also move soon to install Patriot missile systems to protect the runways at Harir and Sulaymaniyah.
The Americans’ main focus revolves around the Bani Harir airstrip, 40 kilometres north of Irbil, and the Bakrajo runway near the city of Sulaymaniyah.
The airstrip at Harir is expected to play a role in the distribution of humanitarian aid, but it could also act as a major staging post for incoming US ground troops.
The airstrip is clearly visible from the road. The asphalt runway has been cleaned and markings have been painted on it. Two weeks ago, one eyewitness said, a C-130 transport plane landed and offloaded 30 vehicles. There have also been numerous unconfirmed sightings of American troops.
The airstrip at Bermani, nine miles from the Turkish border, is controlled by Turkish forces monitoring the movement of 5 000 guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers’ party who fled into the Kurdish mountains from Turkey after the arrest of their leader, Abdullah Ocalan.
Built by the Iraqis, the runway is in poor condition. It was last used by fixed-wing aircraft in 1991 and is now thought to be fit for use only by helicopters. Its chief function is likely to be to provide support for the Turkish army in its plan to establish a ”buffer zone” along its border with Iraq. There is so far no sign of any allied military presence at the airstrip in Sulaymaniyah. The two-mile-long runway is less than 55 kilometres from the frontline with Iraqi troops, and a short flying distance from the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
Forces of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan secured the base three weeks ago. Since then there has been little sign of activity, though Kurdish soldiers have recently refurbished the runway and installed landing lights. The strip is long enough to allow Hercules troop carriers to land, as well as Jaguar and Tornado aircraft.
But its position is within comfortable range of Iraqi field guns. Military experts believe the strip will not be used for offensive operations but mainly as a forward supply base. Once the American-led invasion of Iraq begins, allied troops are likely to be rapidly deployed by helicopter to secure the northern cities of Mosul and Kirkuk. – Guardian Unlimited Â