War planes pound targets outside Kirkuk

WAR planes pounded targets just outside the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk yesterday in the heaviest attack on the strategic oil hub since the start of the war.

As the US military intensified its efforts to open up a northern front against Saddam Hussein’s army, huge plumes of black smoke rose from targets just north of Kirkuk.

Fighter jets circled in the sky above before dropping bombs on or close to Buyuk Hisar, a military stronghold just north of Kirkuk.

From close to the village of Cheman, in the Kurd-controlled north of Iraq, there were reports of more than 50 explosions during more than two hours of bombing.

Mamad, the mayor of the Kurd-controlled village of Sangaw near Kirkuk, said the raids had been more frequent over the past 24 hours - a sign the US. military was intensifying its bombing campaign along the northern front.

Kirkuk and Iraq’s other main northern town of Mosul have been targeted in recent days as Washington slowly moves troops into the region to open a new front in its ground war against Iraq, which has been waged mainly from the south via Kuwait.

Meanwhile, a new division of US troops and equipment began arriving in Kuwait from Turkey yesterday as part of a reinforcement to beef up a military advance on the Iraqi capital.

The first four of a total of 30 ships offloaded military equipment, including Apache fighter helicopters, at Shuaibah port.

They will be accompanied by 30,000 troops of the 4th Infantry Division, said Assistant Division Commander Brigadier General Stephen Speaks. He said his troops were expected to join the battle in a few weeks.