Free Republic

BANI MAQEM, Iraq -- A hilltop position where Iraqi forces had menaced Kurdish civilians for years fell Thursday, after several days of bombing by the U.S. military. Villagers and militiamen celebrated after Kurdish military commanders confirmed the Iraqis had abandoned the checkpoint and surrounding bunkers by mid-afternoon. The retreat came less than a day after U.S. paratroopers landed in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq, opening a new front against Saddam Hussein's forces.