SUBSIDIARY CAMPAIGNS

Evening Post, Volume XCV, Issue 140, 13 June 1918, Page 6

SUBSIDIARY CAMPAIGNS

Both in Palestine and in the Mesopo-tamia-Persia theatre the war seems to be resolving itself especially into a contest in which each side threatens the other side's communications. So far, the Turks have not been able to strike at the life-line connecting Allenby's army with Egypt, but neither has the British commander been able to permanently cut the Damascus railway, which runs past his Jordan front and right down into the Hedjaz, where the enemy still maintains garrisons of occupation. It is true that the Damascus-Hecliaz railway has been temporarily interrupted, particularly by the Arabs, whose renewed activity was chronicled yesterday; but there is nothing to indicate that their frequent raids have made Medina''untenable for the Turk 3. Separated as it is from Damascus by 820 miles of railway, the second holiest city of the Mohammedan world would seem to be beyond the power of the Sultan to retain; and the tenacity with'which it has been hold is proof of the religious and moral value attached to it by tho Turk. Strategically, Turkey's position is bad, but how soon the British commander will realise his advantage depends on what forces can be spared from Europe for an Asiatic iubeidiarj , campaign. Much .she -gun*

consideration governs the position in Mesopotamia. Persia offers to the enemy outflanking opportunities not yet realised, and perhaps not realisable by the enemy Powers unless the war in the West goes in their favour. But so long as German and Turk hold sway in Russia, the British position is threatened not only in Mesopotamia but in India. The Prussian menace is by no means reduced by changing the objective from Bagdad to Herat.