TERRORISM IN ALGERIA

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27499, 5 November 1954, Page 13

TERRORISM IN ALGERIA

Attack On Town Of Arris (NJZ. Press Association—Copyright) (Rec. 11 p.m.) ALGIERS,- Nov. 4. About 1000 anti-French terrorists today were keeping up a withering automatic lire against Arris, the administrative centre of the Aures region in Eastern Algeria. They command heights overlooking the town and have defied a three-day attempt by French security forces to dislodge them. Helicopters dropped supplies to the besieged town yesterday and some of the 200 Europeans among the 2500 population broke through the terrorist encirclement in a military column covered by machine-guns. Mr Jacques Chevalier, the French Secretary of State fpr War, said in Algiers yesterday that the situation was critical at Arris, and the Aures region generally "was practically in a state of revolt.** Between 200 and 250 Tunisian "uniformed bandits” had joined the Algerian outlaws, who were armed with automatic weapons and equipped with mobile radio transmitters. The terrorists had a firm grip on roads and villages. , Mr Roger Leonard, the GovernorGeneral, said last night that some Algerian peasants were now helping the security patrols, and this was "a hopeful sign.”