INDIAN TROOPS IN IRAQ

Southland Times, Issue 24439, 20 May 1941, Page 5

INDIAN TROOPS IN IRAQ

REINFORCEMENTS AT HABBANIYAH

(Rec. 7.50 p.m.) LONDON, May 19. The arrival of fresh reinforcements at Habbaniyah by air, including some: of the most warlike units of the Indian Army, has cheered the besieged garrison, says the Jerusalem correspondent of The Daily Telegraph. The former besiegers seem momentarily on the defensive. The garrison was not even upset by an attack by a small group of German planes on Friday. However, with the threat of German reinforcements still impending it cannot be said that the situation is yet entirely happy. One indication of Rashid Ali s failure to rally the whole body of his countrymen behind him is that the Aiab tiibes in the Euphrates Valley have so lar shown no signs of joining the movement. They have been among the fiercest participants in every previous anti-foreign trouble. In the meantime attacks continue against German planes at Syrian aerodromes. German planes are not only destroyed, but the runways are smashed. _ .

Most of the British colony in Syria has now crossed the border into Palestine. A Free French officer who was in Syria recently stated emphatically that nine-tenths of the military and civil populations desired an Allied victory. The Germanophiles are limited to only one small clique of higher officers. The French Army in Syria numbers between 45,000 and 50,000, mostly colonials. Its equipment has deteriorated since the armistice through neglect and much of it is now unserviceable. There are about 300 planes, of which only 30 per cent, are thought to be airworthy, while petrol supplies are short. OIL FLOWS TO TRIPOLI Oil is flowing once more through the pipe-line from Mosul to Tripoli, but recently a mysterious explosion put out of action the refinery at Tripoli, which is the largest in Syria. Incidentally the Iraqis, while permitting the flow of oil to Tripoli have cut off supplies by pipe-line to Haifa. While the British Fleet and Air Force, operating from Alexandria, Crete and Cyprus, can prevent the Italians and Germans from landing large forces in Syria, the Germans are accumulating a respectable fleet of transports at Aegean ports by bringing Axis, Bulgarian and Rumanian ships through the Bosphorus from the Black Sea. An independent French Cairo correspondent says the National Committee of Frenchmen in Egypt has drawn up a declaration in which it protests against the cession of Syrian aerodromes to Germany. The declaration says the committee emphatically denounces the hypocritical and underhand character of the concession, which by creating a new menace to the valiant Imperial troops in the Middle East, may oblige Britain to take legitimate measures of defence. “We know that in protesting against this last particularly odius abdication we are acting as the mouthpiece of all the French in the homeland, who are obliged'to keep silence,” says the declaration. In Iraq two Gloster Gladiators (a type of plane now considered obsolete) encountered two Messerschmitts over Raschid and destroyed both without suffering any damage. The Gladiators then machined-gunned motor transport and roads nearby. Aerodromes at Mosul and Raschid were bombed by our aircraft. One large aircraft was set on fire at Mosul and others were badly damaged.

NIZAM CONDEMNS RASHID ALI

BOMBAY, May 18.

The Nizam of Hyderabad sent a message to the Muslims of India explaining at length the reasons for the AngloIndian military measures in Iraq and condemning the treachery of Rashid Ali. The Nizam appealed to Muslims to join in an expression of disapproval of the action of Rashid Ali and his clique, who had offended against the most solemn precept of Islam, which is the honour of the pledged word.

DE GAULLE ADHERENTS ARRESTED

(Rec. 6.30 p.m.) PARIS, May 18. The Vichy Ambassador, Count Ferdinand de Brinon, announced that. 42 persons had been arrested for demon-

strating in favour of General Charles de Gaulle in the Tuilleries Gardens on the Joan of Arc anniversary. He added that the de Gaulle party’s advance publicity enabled precautions to be taken and disorder reduced to a minimum.