AGORDAT FALLS TO BRITISH

Pahiatua Herald, Volume XLX, Issue 14654, 3 February 1941, Page 6

AGORDAT FALLS TO BRITISH

OPERATIONS DEVELOPING ON AFRICAN FRONTS ENEMY IN FULL RETREAT IN ABYSSINIA. (British Official Wireless ) RUGBY February 2. The capture of Agordat is the chief among the many successful operation® described in an official communique from Cairo headquarters. This states: In Libya the concentration of our forces in the area west of Derna. are proceeding sinootnlv. In Eritrea yesterday morning our troops captured Agordat. taking many prisoners with guns and mechanical transport. Six Italian medium and five light tanks and fifteen guns were also destroyed. The enemy sustained heavy casualties during the final attack which was carried out by British and Indian troops with the R.A.F. co-operating at dusk yesterday. Advanced elements of our forces are again ill close pursuit of the enemy who is withdrawing towards Keren.

In the Barentu area operations are developing well, whilst further south Biacundi is now in our hands together with, more prisoners taken from Italian forces which originally withdrew from Unini Hagar. As the result of our action, coupled with Patriot activities the Italians are withdrawing fiom the Walkit district and have been obliged, to abandon the bulk of their mechanical transport and are now trying to make their way eastwaids by mountain tracks.

In Abyssinia, following our pressure in the Metemma area, the enemy is also in full retreat on the Metemmai-Pondar road closely followed by our mobile troops In Italian Somaliland, pressure on our patrols has continued on all sectors resulting in a general falling back of the enemy’s advanced screen.