Islamic militants, including fighters who have trained in Osama bin Ladenās camps, have carved out a small safe haven in northern Iraq, where they are apparently arming and have carried out attacks, Kurdish officials said yesterday.

The militants share a radical Islamic ideology with bin Laden, but it is not clear if they are loyal to him or if they just trained in his camps, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The radicals include Iraqi Arabs, Iraqi Kurds and Jordanians, they added. There are fears that the militants could destabilize northern Iraq ÷ an area run by two rival Kurdish groups which have opposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. The groups are considered key to any possible U.S. offensive aimed at overthrowing Saddam.

Kurdish officials said that radical Islamic militants control an area of several small villages on the Iranian border near the town of Halabja. Estimates of the number of militants range from about 100 to several hundred. Kurdish officials said dozens of these fighters are believed to have trained in bin Ladenās camps. Western diplomats could not confirm those reports or others that Taliban fighters fled to the region through Iran after the U.S. began bombing Afghanistan.

Kurdish officials also said that some of al-Qaida trainees may have fled to northern Iraq via Iran and may be using it as a safe haven that is under the control of no central authority. The radicals are divided into several groups and their aims are not clear.

Officials with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan say the militants carried out an April 2 attack on a top PUK official hours after he met with a U.S. delegation.

In that attack, militants armed with assault rifles and grenades opened fire on Barham Salih, killing five of his bodyguards before they were killed or captured.

Salih, a pro-Western politician, is head of the PUKās regional government and was attacked after meeting with a U.S. delegation in northern Iraq. State Department officials based in Turkey regularly travel to northern Iraq to consult with Kurdish officials.

About 2,200 Enduro brand bicycles that sold for $1,650 to $2,750 are being recalled because a tube behind the seat can break, causing the rider to lose control and crash.

Specialized Bicycle Components Inc. of Morgan Hill, Calif., is voluntarily recalling the bicycles after receiving 39 reports of broken seatstays, which connect the rear axle to the rear shock.

No injuries have been reported, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement yesterday.

The recall involves model year 2002 bicycles: the silver Enduro Pro FSR, the black Enduro Expert FSR, the yellow Enduro Comp FSR, and the blue Enduro FSR. The model name of the bicycles is on the top tube and the brand name is located on the bottom tube.

They were sold nationwide by authorized Specialized dealers from September through February. Consumers should stop riding these bicycles and return them to their local Specialized dealer, which will install a new rear seatstay at no charge, the safety commission said.

Specialized did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

For more information, call Specialized at 800-214-1468 between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. EDT weekdays or see the Web site at http://www.specialized.com.

A wildfire that has charred nearly 1,120 acres in steep terrain in the Baboquivari Wilderness was 90 percent contained by yesterday, a spokeswoman said.

Enough progress was made through Wednesday night in battling the Center fire that five of nine hotshot crews were released, Bureau of Land Management spokeswoman Jeannie Gilbertson said. Full containment was expected by yesterday night.

ćWeāre expecting winds, but theyāre not so bad right now,ä Gilbertson said at midmorning.

Four hotshot crews remained at the fire, along with helicopters dropping large bucketloads of water.

Only elite hotshot crews were working fire lines on the ground, primarily because of the steep, inaccessible terrain, Gilbertson said.

The fire was burning in mesquite and light grasses. No structures were threatened.