INDIAN FRONTIER TROUBLE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1710, 29 December 1919, Page 5

INDIAN FRONTIER TROUBLE.

MORE WAR MUDDLING.

SCATHING PRESS COMMENTS.

By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. Au»tralian-New Zealand Cable Amociati.on

LONDON, Dec. 24,

Another war muddle lias been revealed. A series of disclosures in the Times is causing angry comment. It appears that the rovorso on tho Indian frontier,, cabled en Deeomber 23, followod on commissariat and other bungling, which affected the troops. The Viceroy's cablegram to London remarks that the, retirement of December 18 was duo to. tho unsteadiness of t'.vo units which;had suffered-heavily,, and had lost numbers of officers. This is further explained in London by the fact that tho bulk of tho troops were quite new and untrained to mountain warfare. Their timo lately had been devoted to. preparations for open country operations. An 'eye-witness.of tho Afghan campaign writes scaUunglv in tho Times. 110 says that tho British'had 100,000 troops on the frontier, but thoro wore not enough transports to movo them, and barely enough food to feed them. Tho result was that a huge immovable force sat down for months, Tho correspond-'lit adds that the frontier is in turmoil. It had been recently suggested that General Rawlinson should take over tho frontier operations, as a prelude to his accession to the Indian command. ,

FIERCEST FIGHTING EVER KNOWN. j Australian-New Zealand Cable Association. ALLAHABAD, Doc. 22. A message from Mandannakunch, dated December 22. states that the last three days has witnessed the fiercest fighting over known on Mie frontier. The ftfabsuds displnvcrl the utmost determination in opposing picket operations, and resisted in a most stubborn manner all efforts to advance. The Derajnt column remains encamped on tho Palosina Plain, but the enemy has now tasted the bitter fruit of his mad resistance, and spent a day burying his dead. Our casualties were heavier, indeed, than during the whole Tirah campaign, but tho tribesmen suffered as never before. Probably for tho firsr rime in history the Pathan has left over fifty dead on tho hilltops. MAHSUDS ACCEPT TERMS'. Australian-New Zealand liable Association. DELHI. Dec. 27. Tho Mahsuds have accepted our terms.