NEAR EAST TROUBLE

Hokitika Guardian, 26 June 1920, Page 3

NEAR EAST TROUBLE

<By Electric Telegraph—Copyright..!

MORE TROOPS NEEDED. LONDON, June 24. Tho “Daily Mail” says the War Office is appealing to reservists asking exsoldiers to enlist in the reserve. The situation in the Near and Middle East is viewed seriously, owing to the aggression and dnngeorus attitude of Kemal Pasha’s troops, which number between fifteen and twenty thousand. Additional British troops are needed. Marshal Focli and General Wilson ar,> preparing plans for the defence of the Gulf of Tsmid, Smyrna and Dardanelles. Kernel Pasha commands five thousand and is regularly reinforced from Asia Minor. The Allies have forty thousand around Constantinople; British, fourteen thousand; Anglo-Tndia, six thousand, and French, ten thousand, while there are ten thousand Greek troops in. Smyrna. It is impossible to denude Constantinople of troops in the event of a Nationalist advance.

A GREEK ADVANCE. PARIS, June 23.

Advices from Smyrna state the Hellenic offensive against the Nationalists lias begun. Nationalists were compelled to concentrate in the neighbourhood of Akhisar and were driven back in disorder. Akliisar was occupied by the Greeks, who are advancing northwards.

REDS’ RAVAGES

CONSTANTINOPLE, June 24

' The Arzenbaigan situation has taken a new turn, owing to violence of the Reds entering Elzabetopal and indulging in a carnival of murder, rape, plunder and incendiarism, massacring fifteen thousand Moslems. In consequence, the Tartars are rising against, the Reds, who have arrested the leaders,

GREEK OFFENSIVE. LONDON/ June 24

Allied reports from Bcyrout state the Greek soldiery began an offensive on Tuesday against the Turks. Hie latter are fleeing in disorder. Tho Greeks have occupied Akhissar, 47 miles north-east of Smyrna, and have now begun an attack on Salihili a few miles south-east of Akhissar.

OPERATIONS AGAINST TURKS CONSTANTINOPLE, June 24.

A British landing party has commenced blowing up the Turkish guns in the Asiatic Dardanelles fortifications. .

There have been no further attacks by the Turkish Nationalists on Tsmid but the situation is reported dangerous; while Mustapha- Pasha, commands fifteen thousand men. The British halve hitherto had a force deisgnod to police Constantinople, rather than to defend the capital, which is tho real objective of Mustapha’s advance.