September 10, 1996

Kurdish faction allied with Iraqi Government captures Sulaimaniya, city in northern Iraq, after it is virtually abandoned by defenders and residents; thousands of refugees flee, many to Iran; victory leaves forces of Kurdistan Democratic Party in control of all big cities in Iraq's Kurdish region; photo; map (M)

Ecologists are studying new growth one year after 5,500 acres of Long Island pine barrens burned; most striking observation made by scientists has been their conclusion that severity of fire was, at least in part, result of Long Island's past success in putting out and preventing fires in pine barrens; because there had been so few small fires over last 60 years, debris piled up under dwarf pines, providing huge amount of tinder that would otherwise not be available; moreover, lack of fires meant that forest was filled with older trees near end of their life span and thus less able to recover from blaze; photo; chart; map (M)

Robert S Golabek is killed when his 71 Piper Cherokee single engine airplane crashes near Sunrise Mountain in Stokes State Forest in Sandyston Township (New Jersey Daily Briefing) (S)

Deciphering Welfare Now that the states have the vastly expanded power over welfare they said they wanted, they are complaining that the new legislation is confusing and are asking Federal officials for advice. Page A16. Primaries Today in New York New York State is holding primaries today for several posts, with hotly contested elections for Surrogate jobs in Brooklyn and Manhattan and local seats in Congress. Page B3. Father of Bluegrass Is Dead Bill Monroe, the mandolin player and tenor who helped lay the foundation for one of American music's most durable idioms, died in Springfield, Tenn. He was 84. Page D22.

Clyde Haberman column notes 25th anniversary of inmate uprising at Attica State Prison in upstate New York and subsequent quelling of riots by state police; discusses lessons that have been learned, or should have been learned, in regard to conditions that led to riot (M)