: Jalal Talabani, head of the Iraqi Kurd Patriot Union of Kurdistan (PUK) claimed that the Turkish Army now has control of the airport at Bamerni (northern Iraq, between Zakho and Dohuk). (One news source reported that Talabani told CNN that the Turkish Army has actually controlled the airport since 1996, though no planes are currently operating from the field.) The Turkish military denied Talabani's claim. Here's why the report is interesting: A real "multi-axis attack" on Saddam Hussein's regime would have a northern front. An airbase in northern Iraq would give US helicopters a forward operating position, to lift air assault infantry and special forces to objectives deep inside Iraq.