Battle for Jessore reported

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32775, 27 November 1971, Page 17

Battle for Jessore reported

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter —Copyright)

NEW DELHI, November 26.

Pakistan Army units were believed to be fighting to hold the town of Jessore, about 20 miles inside the western border of East Pakistan, it was reported from the border today. Indian Army troops were believed to be involved.

The United Press International correspondent. Ajit Das, reported from Bongaon, about four miles from the border of the Jessore sector, that fighting which could be heard from the border earlier this week was no longer audible.

This indicated that the battle had moved further into the interior, Das said. Heavy Indian military traffic continued to move towards the frontier, and the roads through Bongaon were being widened and wooden bridges were being strengthened to take heavy loads, said Das. Conflicting reports came from New Delhi and Islamabad about the role of Indian troops in the fighting. India continued to ascribe the action to East Pakistani guerrillas. Radio Pakistan, in news broadcasts monitored in New Delhi, said attacks by “Indian troops” in Jessore and at the border crossing point of Benapole and at four other sectors in East Pakistan had been “blunted” with heavy Indian losses. Key town

Jessore, with a Pakistan Army camp and an airport, is a key town on the route to Dacca. Soon after the civil war broke out in East Pakistan on March 25, Bengali guerrillas laid siege to the Army camp, but they were driven off.

The chief of Pakistan’s Diplomatic Mission in New Delhi, Mr Sajaad Hyder, yesterday met India's Foreign Minister (Mr Swaran Singh). Details of their talks were not disclosed. Informed American sources said that the United States Ambassador (Mr Kenneth Keating), also met Mr Singh for two hours yesterday to discuss the crisis. Pakistani shelling The Press Trust of India! quoted unofficial reports as| saying that 10 people were killed and 20 wounded when! the Pakistanis shelled the border town of Balurghat, about 180 miles north of Cal-i cutta.

Reports from the eastern: sector of East Pakistan said there was fighting around Feni, a town on the border about 55 miles north of the port of Chittagong. Indian Government sources in the eastern border sector have admitted Indian Army activity in the Feni area in recent days.

A Reuter correspondent, Granville Watts, reported that the Indian newspapers said today that Bangla Desh guerrillas were continuing action against Pakistani

» troops in widespread areas of ( East Pakistan. i The Press Trust of India ’ reported numerous clashes .between the guerrillas and the Pakistani troops. y 51 ‘Liberated area’ > e | Another Reuter corresTpondent, Ram Suresh, re- -| ported that one band of took him about 10 ■miles inside East Pakistan to 5 a “liberated area.” •i He said he saw no Indian troops inside East Pakistan, 1 but saw a large force of *i Indian Army troops digging •'in on the Indian side of the

f: border 40 miles east of (Calcutta. a Reporting from the town of I s 1 Debhata, Suresh said that the d;guerrillas were gradually moving their camps from India to deep inside East Pakistan. They were setting up two ■ new camps at Debhata, • which is in the Khulna disf trict, and in Parulia beyond 3 that, six to 10 miles from the 5 Ichamati River, which marks the border at the crossing 1 point. > The guerrillas had f appointed a thana (sub?|district) official in their ~ attempt to set up a civil administration, Suresh re- ' ported. The guerrillas told Suresh they were fighting a battle . with Pakistani troops around the Khulna divisional headquarters town of Satkhira, but denied that Indian troops were involved, as has been alleged by Pakistan. Anus from India But the guerrillas admitted that they had recently acquired mortars, guns, and rocket launchers from the Indian Army, which was also training some of their men.

One guerrilla official, who was recruiting men for the guerrilla force in refugee camps near the West Bengal towns of Taki and Basirhat, about 40 miles east of Calcutta, said several hundred guerrillas crossed the border yesterday to fight after being trained by the Indian Army. The guerrillas said their men had surrounded the Pakistani troops in Satkhira, about 12 miles north-east of Debhata, and hoped to capture the town in a day or I two.