Halabja (Iraq) Sept 15: US Secretary of State Colin Powell flew into the Kurdish town of Halabja today on the second day of his trip to US-occupied Iraq marked by a warning that terrorists threatened to ruin the Iraqi political process. Powell has also preached against too-rapid a return of sovereignty to Baghdad as his troops face almost daily attacks and rising casualties from forces loyal to ousted President Saddam Hussein and foreign militants.
The Secretary of State was to meet local officials and honour the thousands of Kurds gassed by Saddam's forces in 1988.
He was welcomed in Halabja, 130 kilometres east of Kirkuk, by Jalal Talabani, leader of the patriotic union of Kurdistan and Massoud Barzani, chief of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, which share power in the region.
He was later due to meet a delegation of 600 relatives of those massacred in the 1988 gas attack, attend the unveiling of a memorial to the tragedy and visit a mass grave.
Halabja's inhabitants gave Powell a hero's welcome, lining the route to watch his convoy go past. Many had donned traditional Kurdish dress of puffed trousers and a wide belt, to stand alongside Kurdish fighters decked out in local dress or fatigues.
Children thronged the streets making military salutes while the crowd held aloft portraits of US President George W. Bush and banners emblazoned with the words: "Our liberators are welcome", "We love America". Bureau Report