Encirclement Of Keren In Progress

Manawatu Times, Volume 66, Issue 44, 20 February 1941, Page 7

Encirclement Of Keren In Progress

B®m6s Dropped in Suez Canal Area ITALIANS ADMIT LOSS OF KISMAYU United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. Received Wednesday, 9.15 p.m. CAIRO, Feb. 19. A British Red Sea column, 40 miles north-east of Keren, is threatening it from the rear. The column covered 100 mile in five days, after two stiff engagements and along appallingly rough tracks. Sudanese troops, in the spearhead of the advance, took both Karora and Mersa Taclai from tho rear. Their officers walked into Karora while it was still in Italian hands. They explored the outer defences and found them unheld. They then went to the centre of the town and opened the door of house, finding themselves in the ltaliau officers’ mess, which was full of officers. Because thoir object was to get back safely with information, they hastily retreated before the Italians had sufficiently recovered to draw their revolvers. After the capture of Ivarora on one wing, the British advanced along the road to Keren, through Nacfa, capturing El Cheua cn route. The other wing pressed inland from Mersa Taclai and is now at the gates of Kubkub, a strong Italian post 40 miles from Keren. British forces from Barentu are pushing on eastwards in Abyssinia. Haile Selassie’s troops occupied Dangila and other posts at Gojjam and are closely pursuing the Italians, who are fleeing northward. Tho tStefani agency in Rome states that a native Ethiopian army is being organised at Asmara under Has Gugsa and other chieftains, who summoned the natives by the beat of war-drums on Italy’s behalf. A Cairo message says air raiders early this morning dropped bombs in the Suez Canal area. There was no damage or casualties. The Duke of Aosta, Viceroy of Ab}’ssinia, in a message to Signor Mussolini, says that the people are ready for any sacrifice to achieve a Fascist Italian victory. Another instance of Italian difficulties comes from a chief of the Senussi, one of the most numerous and powerful Arab factions in the Middle East. In an interview at Cairo, he declared that a million of his followers iu Tripoli, Palestine and Syria are taking up tho fight on the side of Britain. He said that for 20 years the Senussi had been waging war with the Italians, and he compared the systematic persecution of Mohammedans under the Italians witTT the peace they enjoyed within the British Empire. He said that Britain’s

war against dictatorship interested Islam as much as Christianity. An Italian communique reports: There was violent lighting yesterday on the Greek front. The Greeks sustained grave losses and did not sue* ceed in breaking our lines. The Italian losses were also considerable. Enemy planes bombed Italian islands in the Aegean Sea. Fighting in Eritrea was confined to local actions. Wo repulsed violent enemy attacks on the lower Juba River. Our Somali contingent, after blocking the port, evacuated Kismayu, but fighting continued in the neighbourhood.