Northern front: The US has established a command base in northern Iraq to press its northern front against the forces of Saddam Hussein and curtail any efforts by the Turkish military to deploy troops over its border.
The announcement, made yesterday by US Marine Maj-Gen Pete Osman, marks the formal beginning of the northern allied assault which had been put on hold following Turkey's refusal to allow the US access to its military bases.
The Military Co-ordination and Liaison Command (MCLC), set up under Maj-Gen Osman, will allow the allied forces to begin their pincer push south to attack Iraqi troops.
The operation under Maj-Gen Osman's control has been granted full and free access to all military and other facilities in the Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Iraq, Mr Hoshyar Zebari, the international relations director of the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP), said yesterday.
"The US needs this front desperately, and the only way it can be activated is to work with us," Mr Zebari said.
"This is the first step in the military and humanitarian operation that this will move forward," he said.
In announcing the establishment of his command, Maj-Gen Osman said the operation would "synchronise humanitarian support operations, assist in the deconfliction of military and humanitarian activities and co-ordinate relief into Northern Iraq".
By "deconfliction" Maj-Gen Osman was understood to be referring to threats by the Turkish government to despatch troops into northern Iraq, in defiance of warnings by the US.
He made the announcement to reporters at the KDP headquarters in Salahuddin.
Reading from a prepared statement, he said the MCLC would "provide a stabilising effect in the northern region" of Iraq. He gave no further details.
Mr Zebari said the US presence in the north was initially being characterised as a "humanitarian and military" operation, but that its mandate would be broadened as the war against Saddam matured.
"There will be more; as the war strategy is developed there will be some major changes and emphasis on how this will be conducted," he said.
The US has already landed hundreds of troops at northern Iraqi airstrips, mainly to spearhead an operation against Islamist groups Ansar al-Islam and Kurmal who had been headquartered in the mountains above the Halabja Plain.
A 2.5 kilometre airstrip in Harir, north of the northern capital of Irbil, has been prepared for US troops landings - with some unconfirmed landings already reported - which are believed to be integral to the northern front campaign.
The US military presence, for which much of the groundwork has been laid, will enable the allied forces to begin one of the most vital operations of the war aimed at removing Saddam Hussein's government from power.
Thwarted by Turkish obstruction to plans to use bases in southeastern Turkey to send troops and equipment over the border into northern Iraq, the US had appeared stymied in how to bring about its original operational blueprint.
The northern front is a fundamental component of Operation Iraqi Freedom as it will enable the allies to enclose Saddam's forces between the massive push from the Persian Gulf and a smaller but precise operation from the north.
Turkey's decision to allow nothing more than access to airspace has come hand-in-hand with a parliamentary decision late last week to make a unilateral military entry, which would amount to an invasion into territory controlled by Kurdish groups who have allied protection.
Threats to make such incursions have sent shudders through the northern leadership groups, and led to a mass deployment of militiamen towards the border with Turkey.
Mr Zebari described as "nonsense" Turkish justification, which includes the need to stem any tide of refugees over its borders, for the planned deployment.
"Their aim is to control our destiny and interject themselves in any developments here," Mr Zebari said.
"We are allied to the United States - we are the second biggest ally in this war.
"If the Turks come in, we will have to turn north, not south, and that will be a disaster as you will have two major US allies in conflict."
Turkish concerns on a variety of issues would be addressed, he said, by a joint US-Turkish-Kurdish co-ordinating committee that would be based in the Turkish border town of Silopi.