THE WAR REVIEWED.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 October 1918, Page 3

THE WAR REVIEWED.

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TRANS-CASPIAN REGION

I- WELLINGTON, This Day. l- j In the Trans-Caspian region compli“r 1 eated fighting is taking place. Wc are j co-operating with Trans-Caspian forces | and captured Aushak. 200 miles east of ! the Caspian, driving off the Bolsheviks I with heavy loss. Unfortunately our unreliable 'Trans Caspian allies did little or- ■ I nothing in the attack and then promptly scattered after loot, so that when the Bolsheviks counter-attacked, all the lighting had to be done by our handful of Indian troops who suffered heavily • and wore forced todrall back on Kaaklia, but the Bolsheviks’ left was weakly > guarded, and the rear and rearguard were overwhelmed by I ■ Turcomans. This, together with I 1 heavy losses at our hands, so upset I ’ them that they again evacuated Busliak I and withdraw from Tcsjen in the. great- I j cst confusion, leaving behind a remark- I • able number of dead and a quantity of I burnt rolling stock. I IN TURKEY. Tewfik Pasha failed to form a Tur- I kisli Cabinet- and has been succeeded I by Izzet Pasha, who managed it. Izzot- I is a soldier who carried out successful I negotiations for the Turkish Government I in 1910, whereby under Turkish rule the I Iman of Sana was granted autonomy. 1 1 However, in the present- juncture the I offer of autonomy will not be of much I 1 assistance to the Turkish Empire. I - The most prominent of the other J - members of the Cabinet- is Damavid, I f Minister of Finance, who is the very I ' core of a Committee of Union and Pro- 1 1 gress. This implies- that Talaw is still behind the scenes and the Committee I t of Unioin and Progress have not- aban- c doned its position in Constantinople, j while the Turks are not realising the po- j sition in which they are now placed I c bv •their; military disasters. I v ON THE VOLGA. o On the Volga front the Czechs’ right I t< wing made some progress, but tiie Czech I J left was threatened by a turning movement by the Bolsheviks and forced to R fall b-ack fifty miles oast of Kind .Tunc- I h

The Railwaymen on the Trans-Siberian railway has been giving trouble and it has been discovered that they are in collusion with the local Bolsheviks, while the Russian troops are powerless to restore order. This helps to show the vital need of strong Allied forces to secure the Czech communications in European Russia.