U.S. Army paratroopers seize airfield in northern Iraq | McClatchy Washington Bureau
"The drop zone, within an autonomous Kurdish enclave, was considered "permissive," meaning the soldiers didn't expect to be shot at as they descended to earth with enough gear, food and water to survive for several days."
The main reason seems to have been to get a lot of men on the ground in short order without risking a C-17 - certainly not an oppose drop such as Arnhem, Sicily or Normandy
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