“NATION CRUCIFIED.”

Taranaki Daily News, 22 October 1926, Page 15

“NATION CRUCIFIED.”

FRENCH RULE IN SYRIA. AN AUSTRALIAN’S OBSERVATIONS Auckland, Oct. 11. The state of affairs in Syria where the French are at present carrying on a guerrilla warfare with the Druses, a large tribe with all the traditional fighting courage of their Arab ancestors, was narrated by Mr. W. 0. E. FeildingJones, F.R.G.S., who for the past five months has been in the thick of the fighting. Mr. Feilding-Jones, who is returning to his station in Australia, acted as correspondent for a syndicate of American papers and the Sydney Sunday Times. “The world does not know of the real position in Syria because the French Foreign Office strictly censors any communiques,” stated Mr. Feilding- Jones. “The truth is that the French have made an awful mess of things out there and they would do anything to get out of Syria to save their face. They have broken their promises to the Arabs. They have done their best to antagonise the- Arabs and they have violated sacred Arab customs.” Continuing, Mr. Feilding-Jones said the rebellion commenced with a local rising of Druses, and gradually developed into a national rising against the French. Now the Kurds, Syrians and Druses were all combined, although powerful Druses formed the backbone of the opponents of the French. The French led the world to believe that Syria was pacified, but Damascus was a besieged city, the Druses- holding the whole outside threequarters of the city and the French the centre. “There is no doubt that the French want to do it without loss of prestige,” Mr. FeildingJones said. “France has classed it as a religious war, but that is not true, because Mohammedans, Christians and many other sects are opposed to them: I know the Druses would lay down their arms to-morrow if the League of Nations gave Great Britain a mandate over Syria. Here is a nation being crucified under French mandate. The French have no idea of the Arab mind, and have adopted the wrong policy. They tried to squeeze an orange dry for the glory of France, but they have brave people to deal with.” The world had been fed by false communiques from the French Foreign Office. According to French statistics something like 100,000 Druses had been killed, but the whole Druse tribe, including men, women and children, only numbered 70,000. The Druses were enlisted at the age of 13, and the ages of their troops ranged from 13 to 70. The French army numbered 60,000 at the outset, but some 15,000 had been killed. “The Druses are well skilled in the art of warfare,” stated Mr. Feilding-Jones. “Many of learned the art of warfare under him. them are Arabian irregulars who were trained under Colonel Lawrence and They do not pretend they can hold Syria. They want England to step in, but that does not suit the policy of the Foreign Office at present.”