At the end of a chaotic week of fighting spurred by the U.S. invasion of Iraq, U.S. paratroopers have been reportedly dropped in the autonomous Kurdish regions of northern Iraq. The U.S. has been unable to open a northern front, due to Turkey’s refusal to allow the use of its bases as entry points for U.S. forces. Kurdish officials from the two main parties have continued to denounce Turkey’s reported plans to send thousands of troops across the border, ostensibly to head off humanitarian emergencies. European officials and rights groups have joined in the chorus criticizing the Turkish plans, but, despite recent assurances from President Bush, reports suggest that the U.S. may tolerate a Turkish military presence in Kurdistan, and its envoy in the region is pressing Kurdish officials to go along with the plan.
