FIGHTING IN ERITREA

Evening Post, Volume CXXXI, Issue 38, 14 February 1941, Page 7

FIGHTING IN ERITREA

ADVANCE CONTINUES

OPERATIONS B;Y INDIANS

(Official Wireless and U.P.A.)

LONDON, February 12.. A communique issued by General Headquarters in Cairo states:

"In Eritrea our forces operating from the north have occupied El Ghena (30 miles south of the border), capturing prisoners and equipment, and their advance is continuing. The operations about Keren are developing well, while our columns operating further south have penetrated still further into hostile territory. So far 80 guns have been captured or destroyed on this front. On the other fronts there is no change in the situation."

In addition to El Ghena, where 200 prisoners were taken, the British forces in Eritrea have captured two Italian posts and another mountain. Mechanised units seized Mai Mefales, an Italian post 60 miles south-west of Asmara. The Italians fled in this direction after the abandonment of Barentu. A speedy British mobile force has already captured a large number of Italian lorries on the road between Barentu and Mai Mefales.

Nothing has been heard for some days of the Italian column which retreated from Umm Hagar and took to the bush in order to escape its pursuers. "The Abyssinians will deal with them," remarked a military spokesman at Cairo.

Indians are operating near Keren on a mountain position 4000 feet up after the capture of another mountain. Nearly all the Italian positions on this front have been taken by infantry crawling up the mountain sides through thick bushes in faqe of; machine-gun fhre from trenches on the height above.