The Daily News. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1917. THE MESOPOTAMIAN CAMPAIGN.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 February 1917, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 1917. THE MESOPOTAMIAN CAMPAIGN.

It ia extremely probable that wlien the story of the war comes to be written, the incidents of the campaign against the Turks in Mesopotamia will be cited as illustrating the unfortunate tendeney of the British authorities to muddle through in historic fashion. Without a doubt the surrender of Kut-el-Amara stands out as a woeful result of gross mismanagement, while it also affords emphatic testimony to the marvellous powers of endurance of Anglo-Indian forces. It was a disaster that might and should liave been avoided, but nevertheless it was not irretrievable, as recent cables demonstrate. It will be remembered that a force of some ten thousand men was forced to surrender as the only alternative to death by starvation, the bitterness of such a disaster being enhanced by the brilliant victory which had previously been won at Ctesiplion, and by the fact that the hard work accomplished had in a large measure to be done over again under far greater odds. That work has now been in progress for some time and success has again crowned British efforts and the Turks now admit having been forced to retreat. It is evident that the less sons of the past have been taken to heart and that our gallant men are doing their best to wipe out the errors which culminated in the surrender. liu British advance since then has been on safe and sound lines, taking into account that a brave and resourceful enemy lias to be reckoned with. Thin is as it should be, for it is courting disaster to hold the enemy cheaply. Had the campaign been abandoned when General Townshend waa obliged to surrender, it is hard to say what the moral effect" would have been not only on the Turks, but on our other enemies as well as the neutrals. There was, however, never any serious thought of taking such a course, and to-day the Eiy, fcish forces are advancing victoriously step by step to the attainment of tlio ultimate objective. It was Germany's intention to annex Mesopotamia as one of the means for menaciiiL- India from the Persian Gulf, so that it was imperative this historic region as far as Bagdad should be protected from the grasp of the Huns or their , coadjutors, the Turks. That this aim will be accomplished is a matter on which confidence is thoroughly justified. There is another aspect of the campaign that must not lie overlooked, and that is it strikes at the centre of the Turkish rule and German ambition in the east, besides holding up large Turkish fortes that would otherwise be utilised against the Allies ir. other theatreß of the war, especially in Egypt. Those who closely watch the various ramifications of the war operations can grasp the full import of this. Mesopotamian campaign in all its bearings, and the creditable activity now being by the British forces on

the Tigris leave no room for doubt as to this critical stage of the war that the utmost efforts be made by the Allies on every front so as to keep the enemy busily employed and prevent the transfer of troops from one theatre to another, and to press forward with vigor and determination. The new Grand Vizier of Turkey lias signalled his tenure of office by jeering at the British retirement from Gallipoli and an empty boast of Turkish determination to retain Constantinople. Bombastic utterances, as the Kaiser well knows by this time,, do nut avert defeats. Turkey is unable to give her German masters the assistance they expected, and the reason is not far to seek —she has her hands fully employed in looking after her own interests, and tliis task will be considerably magnified in the near future. The latest news from Mesopotamia, is entirely satisfactory, and denotes that British is profiting by past experience and pursuing the campaign on the right lines. Ve can afford to treat past errors with leniency v lien such praiseworthy amends are being made to clear Mesopctamia, Armenia, Macedonia and Palestine cf the curse o: misrule which lias blighted those countries, and in its place to open up an era of peace and prosperity that will compensate in some measure for the losses sustained.