REBELLION IN SYRIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19384, 20 July 1926, Page 11

REBELLION IN SYRIA.

THE FRENCH SITUATION. SPRING CAMPAIGN FAILS, # - " BRUTAL OPPRESSION." (By W. 0, E. Fielding-Jones.) SYRIA. Atml., 1906. The position of France in Syria to-day is desperate. She is being beaten all along the line by the Druses, but site refuses to face the facts. The much-vaunted spring offensive of the French has been an utter (failure. They were to have sent out a column on March 5, which was not only going to take Sueida, but also to wreak vengeance throughout the Jebel Druse. Later the departure of this all-devastating column was postponed until March 15. Now it is not to leave until April 20. I do not claim that the French will not take Sueda if they send a column of sufficient strength—and an immensely strong column it would have to be. French Fnghtfulsess. Another item in the French offensive was to lie the capture of Xebek. A column 7000 strong was sent south from Horns- to effect this, but it suffered a severe check on its route by a band of Druse cavalry, forcing it to retreat. Later, another column did succeed in taking Nebek—although nearly three weeks later than the date announced in their official communique—but at thattime there were no Druses to prevent them,' as the insurgent forces all had disappeared "into the blue." Perhaps it was in retaliation for thuir earlier defeat, or perhaps merely in accord with their customary policy of endeavouring, by frightfulness, to strike terror into the hearts of the inhabitants, that the French burned and sacked this city. An explanation from them of this act of vandalism would be interesting. At nearly all' the other points against which their long-awaited spring offensive Ims been launched, the French attempts have been equally futile. Strengths of the Armies.. It must ever be kept in mind that the Druses consist of a tribe of not more than 55,000 souls. Their fighting force—which includes all men and boys who are fit and able to carry a rifle, and go campaigning from the ages of 14 to 70—numbers only 12,000 men, together with perhaps 5000 irregular non-Druse auxiliaries. Against these the French are employing between 35,000 and 40,000 troops. These 40,000 troops' are composed of so many different races and factions that they form perhaps the most polyglot small army that ever has been concentrated under.one command. * There is the French conscript himself, the Algerian and the Senegalese. Fighting shoulder to shouldetf beside these one finds the Ammanese—strayed far from his Indo-Chinese jungles—the Foreign Legion and the Armenian auxiliaries whom the French have pressed into their service. Among them only the Foreign Legion arc thoroughly trained and competent to fight in a guerilla war such as this rising, while even these appear to be no match for the Druses. ' 1 . ' '■. ; ■ ■ • ; Olty ol Fear and Death. As 1 have mentioned before, Damascus is.,virtually a besieged city. Three-quarters of it is in the hands of the insurgents, the French holding only the centre. About their portion they have erected barbed-wire entanglements, and at every street corner stands a sandbag redoubt. The city is under martial law and no one is permitted in the streets after dark. Nor, for that matter, would anyone desire to go wandering about the streets, for every night the insurgents come creeping from the great Miclan quarter through tfae i barbed-wire entanglements, bent pn sniping the French sentries within the redoubts. From the roof on one's hotel one can see them, slipping along from J shadow to shadow. Damascus is a city of fear and death. Troops, motor-lorries, armoured cars, arid tanks—all are to be found mingled here and there throughout the French portion of the city. Every soldier—whatever the duty he be employed upon—ucver moves without his rifle and 300 rounds of ammunition. All the garden walls have been razed to the ground, lest they should afford shelter to snipers, and largQ portions of the city lie in ruins in testimony to the sbeljing. Even the trains running between Beyrout and Damascus arc attacked. All have invariably one, if not two, armouwl cars attached to them, cars , which bristle with machine guns, but this doe* not render them immune from, danger. Three times out of five they have to ruu the gauntlet of rifle fire. Hot Enough Troope. France has 40,000 troops in Syria. This is either 30,000 too many, if, indeed her intentions be peaceable, or not enough by half if she intends to prosecute this war to a successful conclusion. In the meantime, while she hesitates in making up her mind what to do, Syria gradually is being crucified and torn limb from limb. How much longer is the League going to permit this brutal oppression of a race to continue ? How much longer will a civilised world look on supinely while France perpetrates her atrocities and deeds of shame upon a helpless people. * Sueida was captured by the French on April 25. Three columns, comprising eleven battalions of infantry, were sent out from Damascus; the main force* which made the direct attack on the Druse, capital, consisted of six infantry battalions, two field gun batteries, tanks and a supply convoy of 100 motor lorries, defence resisted for six hours. Later reports have been to the effect that Sueida has again been besieged bv the Druses, several,' thousand French troops beingheld within the beleagured city. Further - fighting occurred in Damascus during May, the French bombarding the Midan ■ quarter.