BRITISH OCCUPY RUTBAH FORT

Southland Times, Issue 24433, 13 May 1941, Page 5

BRITISH OCCUPY RUTBAH FORT

KEY POINT ON OIL

PIPE-LINE

HEAVY IRAQI CASUALTIES

LONDON. May 11

In Iraq the British forces have occupied the fort at Rutbah. The British forces had already reoccupied the Rutbah aerodrome, which is a key point on the great pipe line fiom the oilfields to Haifa in Palestine and on the route to India. Heavy casualties were inflicted on the rebels. In the Habbaniyah and Basra areas the situation remains calm. British aircraft continue to attack the 1 ebeloccupied aerodromes and other rnilitary objectives. The barracks, aerodrome buildings and transport park at Mosul received over 12 direct hits. Earracks at Amara, Diwaniya, Nasriya and Qaraghan were all attacked and damaged.

REGENT TO RETURN

Tewfik Sudeidi Bey, the Prime Minister in the former Iraq Government, is reported to have gone to Amman from Bagdad to meet the deposed Regent, Abdul Illah, who is returning to restore the legal Government. An Iraq communique states: “As a result of enemy surprise action at Habbaniyah our troops were compelled to take up new positions, but they immediately counter-attacked.” M. Shawkat, Rashid All's Minister of Defence, has visited the Turkish Prime Minister, Dr Reyfik Saydam. Although M. Shawkat was interviewed at length. Turkish circles are maintaining great reserve concerning the purpose of his visit, which, it is semi-officially explained, would be regarded as informal because Turkey did not recognize Rashid Ali’s Government. After M. Shawkat’s interviews the Iraqi Legation issued a statement demanding that British troops should be withdrawn. It is denied that Iraq wanted war. The statement added that the Iraqis besieging Basra had been increased to three divisions. There is still no confirmation that Rashid Ali has fled from Bagdad.

ULTIMATUM DROPPED

An ultimatum dropped at dawn by the Royal Air Force preceded the final British attack on Rutbah. The situation has been much relieved as a result of the capture of Rutbah and the pushing back of the Iraqis investing Habbaniyah. The ultimatum to Rutbah called on the garrison to surrender within an hour. The plane delivering the ultimatum was fired on and the ultimatum was ignored. British planes began bombing the fort after an hour, one of the first bombs landing outside the gates. The British attacking force from the ground consisted of local levies also a detachment of a British eastern counties regiment which was flown from Palestine. This force raced across the desert under the cover of night, reaching its positions before dawn a few thousand yards from the fort’s walls. The ground force after the attack began sometimes made things difficult for the Air Force by pressing dangerously close to the fort. The Iraqi garrison was small and consisted chiefly of police armed with machine-guns who previously had been entrusted with guarding the fort against the rebels and then went over to the rebels. A British frontier force and an Arab force from Trans jordania are at present scouring both sides of the frontier with the object of mopping up guerilla forces which may be forming. The Iraqis at Habbaniyah can no longer shell the British position whereas the British have been using the aerodrome from the outset of hostilities. The planes also are using the polo ground outside the perimeter.

TURKS NOT SATISFIED

The Ankara correspondent of The Times says the impression in Turkish circles is that the Turkish Government is not very well satisfied with the -visit of M. Shawkat. It was thought that M. Shawkat intended to submit acceptable proposals for ending the conflict' in Iraq so that Turkey could transmit them to Britain, but from M. Shawkat’s conversation with the Foreign Minister, Dr Shokru Saracoglu, it appears that he is more interested in expounding the Iraqi case to Turkey and gaining Turkish support, but Turkish circles suspect that M. Shawkat came to Ankara not so much to meet the Turkish Government as to see the German Ambassador, Baron Franz von Papen, who is expected to return soon from Berlin. M. Shawkat doubtless expects a more sympathetic hearing from Baron von Papen than from the Turkish Government, which is considerably irritated by Rashid Ali’s activities. Turkey’s offer of mediation does not

mean that Turkey has any illusions about responsibility for the Iraq conflict and certainly does not intend to discourage the British from acting against the Iraqis with all the force they can muster. It is stated without confirmation in Cairo that two Italian generals have arrived in Bagdad. King Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia is believed to have informed Rashid Ali that he is unable to offer any assistance to the anti-British movement in Iraq. The Iranian attitude to events in Iraq is also believed to be complete disapproval.