Paras open way for second front in northern Iraq
Coalition paratroopers have seized an airfield in northern Iraq to open the way to a second front in the war against Saddam Hussein.
Around 1,000 soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade are securing the 6,700ft airstrip outside the town of Bashur in Kurdish-controlled territory in northern Iraq.
The airstrip is long enough to be used by C-17s and other US military cargo planes.
Several hundred special forces troops from Britain, the US and other coalition countries are already thought to be operating in the area, with missions including spotting targets for missile attacks.
Several large explosions were reported in cities in northern Iraq and journalists in Baghdad said they counted at least 30 explosions overnight.
