UNDECLARED WAR

Evening Star, Issue 25950, 15 November 1946, Page 7

UNDECLARED WAR

Guerrilla Forces Inside Greece Yugoslav Border Focus of Action

(Rec. 11 a.m.) ATHENS, Nov. 14. The Government is hastily calling conferences of political and military leaders following receipt of confirmation of news that a guerrilla band 1.000 strong is operating on Greek territory in mountains near the border of Yugoslavia. The band is reported to have overwhelmed two companies of the Greek army and is now driving down the valley of the Vardar 'River. One mountain garrison resisted the band until 40 were killed. The Greek army unit sent as relief was so badly knocked about that it had to give up. The Prime Minister, M. Tsaldaris, meeting Opposition leaders while the Greek army staff is conferring with a British military mission spokesman; said: “ Events' in the north are clearly taking the character of an undeclared war against Greece.” M. Tsaldnris charged that armed attacks were being made on Greece

from foreign territory, says the Associated Press’s Athens correspondent. M. Tsaldaris described one attack on Skara as “a continuation of similar attacks being carried out along the entire length of the Greek northern border from Turkey to the Adriatic. He pointed out that the attack was made within one and a-half miles of the Yugoslav border. He said the attackers fled into Yugoslavia. A Greek Ministry of Information report from Salonika says the retreat of the Greek rebels from Skara was covered “by heavy fire from Yugoslav soldiers against the Greek soldiers.’’ The official Greek announcement declared that ipart of the band which attacked Skara came from across the Yugoslav border, and that the fight is continuing. The announcement added that before the attack was' launched telegraph and telephone lines in the vicinity were cut and roads mined. One car carrying troops near Skara was blown up by a mine.