POSITION SUMMED UP.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LX, Issue 16775, 16 October 1916, Page 5

POSITION SUMMED UP.

TURKISH STRATEGY MISCAR*

RIES.

Received October I*s, 8.30 p.m

LONDON, October 14

Mr. Philip Price, the Manchester Guardian's correspondent at Tiflis, sums up the position in Armenia and Persia. The Turkish evacuation of Erzingan proved the preliminary to a big counter-offensive extending from^south of the Armenia Plateau to Eastern Persia. The Turkish plan was to draw the Russians deeply into the western Euphrates Valley and then to throw the whole third army into the lake depression, while the left wing of the sixth army advanced and -occupied Teheran. Abdr^Pjtsha^ commanding the third army, hoped to push north from the Mush plain and cut off the Russians betwefe^'^.'Erzeroum and Karsal. He commenced the offensive, sending lio,o*oo troops under Isset Pasha in ,three columns, which he arranged should converge near Khumus, south of ,Ei*zeroum. General Yudenitch, however, managed to outflank Isset Pasha, who evacuated the Mush plain. A large Turkish force is now in the upper Euphrates Valley connected with its base by bad roads. Isset's power of offensive has been greatly reduced owing to the difficulty in getting supplies from Kharput.

The situation in Persia ' is less satisfactory. Halil Pasha invaded Persia with 26,000 regular cavalry and infantry and twelve thousand irregular Kurds, with German batteries and aeroplanes. The Russians, outnumbered, retired. The Turks now hold Hamadan, but do not attempt to advance on Teheraa, fearing a Russian counter-offensive which threatened Halil's retreat on Bagdad.