MESOPOTAMIA.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 February 1916, Page 5

MESOPOTAMIA.

THE FALL OF ERZERUM. RUSSIANS CONTINUE THE PURSUIT Received Feb. 27, 5.5 p.m. Constantinople, Feb. 26. Trains are running day and night carrying troops and supplies to Angora in a desperate effort to retrieve Erzeruin. Received Feb. 27, 5.5 p.m. Condon, Feb. 26, The Morning Post's Petrograd correspondent says that the pursuit of the garrison and field troops who are retreating has continued for a week, and the fugitives are now brought to a standstill in the mountainous country near Mamakhotun, sixty miles west of Erzerum, where they are forced to halt and oppose a further Russian advance. It is evident that Kiainil Pasha got his main force moving westward directly it was evident that the fortress must fall. The Russian cavalry have since been cutting up the rearguards and are now coming inte contact with the main body. The Russians continue energetically the pursuit on the Turkish left.

A GREAT HAUL. THE TURKS' LOSSES. Wellington, Last Night. The High Commissioner reports : London, Feb. 27, 12.10 p.m. Petrograd reports in the capture of Erzerum we captured 225 Turkish officers, 12.753 men, 9 standards, 323 guns, and muck ammunition, arms, provisions, , > ... A FURTHER SUCCESS. KERMANSHAH TAKEN. Received Feb. 27, 5.5 p.m. London, Feb. 20. The Russians have stormed and captured Koriaanshah. CHEERY NEWS. / BRITISH TROOPS HEARTY. j Receive* Feb. 27, 5.5 p.m. * London, Feb. 2G. Cheery reports are to hand from Mesopotamia. Artillery fire in the days and sniping at nights are continued. After a month of bad weather a more settled spell has set in, though the flood season, due to melting snows, is expected shortly. General Townshend sends a wireless that he lias ample supplies, and ia sowing vegetables. He asked for gramophone needles, and these were dropped in the I camp from an aeroplane.

I TURKS DEPRIVED OF AID. ' '' ■ '; Rome, Feb. 25. The Tribuna's Athens correspondent says that prior to the fall of Erzerum the commander sent a Turco-German mission urgently asking for reinforcements and supplies, and saying that the Armenians and Kurds refused to start a guerilla warfare against the Russians. Talaat and Enver replied that it was impossible to do more. A stormy scene followed, and the German officer belonging to the mission narrowly escaped violence. Turkey categorically refuses to cooperate in the Bagdad campaign unless Germany sends 100,000 men to Constantinople.