LOSING SUPPORT

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIX, Issue 21960, 12 May 1941, Page 5

LOSING SUPPORT

Feeling Against Rashid Ali Basra And Habbaniyah Quiet By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright (Rec. 6.30 p.m.) LONDON, May 10. It is learned in Cairo that antiRaschld All demonstrations occurred in Kirkuk and Mosul. Prominent Iraqis have not left their homes in Baghdad for the last 10 days as a sign of disapproval of Raschid’s policy. The German news agency, quoting a report from Beirut, denies that Raschid Ali fled from Baghdad where he visited the mosque on Friday amid enthusiastic demonstrations of the population. A Cairo communique states that in Iraq the situation in both the Habbaniyah and Basra areas remains quiet. From Habbaniyah our patrols are maintaining contact with dissident Iraqi army elements which have withdrawn from Ramadi and Fallujah. According to the Beirut correspondent of the British United Press the Emir Abdullah of Tranr’crdan was seriously shot by his son as a result of a quarrel over Iraq. The Iran Minister, in a letter to the Turkish newspaper "Ulus" denies foreign reports that German subjects are entering Iran under the name of tourists. He aid his denial was based on definite information from Iran.

Fuller details of successful operations against the Iraqi rebels at Habbaniyah are contained in a Royal Air Force communique from the Middle East, which states: “It is known that in addition to inflicting heavy casual-

ties our forces, which included Royal Air Force armoured cars, troops, and Iraqi levies, captured a large quantity of material, including six serviceable howitzers, a number of other guns, and four armoured cars. The rebel air strength has been made negligible. Twenty-five enemy aeroplanes have been destroyed qr put out of action. One of t.iese was shot down by a Royal Air Force .nrhter when attempting to bomb the cantonment at Habbaniyah. “On Thursday Iraqi aerodromes were again successfully bombed. At Sharaban, four Irani aircraft were damaged on the ground, and at Baquba three rebel aeroplanes were destroyed by fire and a number of others damaged, wnde at Hanaida (the Raschid aerodrome) one Savoia, three Bredas, and one other aircraft were machinegunned. A later raid on the same aerodrome caused a huge blaze, in what was undoubtedly an old dump. Rebel Air Arm Wiped Out Although the Royal Air Force does not yet cla-ri to have destroyed all the Iraqi aircraft, it can be taken for granted, states the Air Ministry news service, that Raschid All’s air arm has ceased to be effective as a fignting force. A senior officer of the Royal Air Force In Iraq said: “It is a little early to form a complete picture, but it is safe to say that we have practically liquidated what air force Iraq possessed. They certainly cannot undertake any offensive air action of dny value. “The personnel at the flying training school at Habbanivah put up a magnificent snow during the investment, and afterwards in pursuing the defeated attackers ir the air and on the ground by Royal Air Force armoured cars. It was the two bombing attacks made on Thursday at the Baquba and Sharaban landing ground northeast of Baghdad which nrobably completed the destruction of the Iraq fo"ce at Bs-’a.” Another Air Ministry bulletin records that a very large fire which was started near the Raschid air base about 15 miles south-east of Baghdad yesterday morning was still burning fiercely in the afternoon. A pilot who has been on numerous raids over Germany and France declared that it was easily the biggest blaze he had seen anywhere. “Something very big and very important” was the official description of the fire.

British Women Evacuated The Raschid aerodrome was founded by the Royal Air Force and was formerly known as Hanaidi. Thousands of men of the Royal Air Force have served there. All the British women and children who were in Baghdad when hostilities began in Iraq have now left for India by s-a. American-built Doudas troopcarrying aircraft which have taken reinforcements from India to Habbaniyah, brought a party numbering more than 200 to the south of Basra from Habbaniyah. . The pilot of one aeroplane sard that his machine was shot at by Iraqis who, at the f'”” were on the escarpment overlooking the aerodrome at Habbaniyah. “They must have seen us as we were loading up the women,” said the pilot, “and they can have had no doubt as to who was on board.” _ „ „ t , Little Support For Rebels The Indian Government, which is interested in Indian troops in Iraq, nas issued the following communique- “ There has been a slight approvement in the situation in the Basra area The population has shown no inclination to assist in hostile actions inspired by certain Iraqi military leaders of the anti-British forces. Implicit orders have been issued to the officers commanding the Imperial units to avoid injury to civilians or civil property and to keep clear of holy places.” Sir Henry Maitland Wilson has assumed command of the British forces in Palestine and Transjordania.