MESOPOTAMIA.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 March 1917, Page 5

MESOPOTAMIA.

NEARING BAGDAD,. ITS GAOTCRE IMMINENT, . London, Maroh 8. ' General Maude announces that iU capture of Aiagdad is imminent. M* " fish cavalry are within twelve niton Tb is impossible to defend the city, Wt.i, the TufJfa may make a. stand six mill* to the south'. If this 'is not don» VsM ' Turks must retreat north to find h if ' fensible position^

DETAILS OF OPERATIONS. : v SEXSATJONAIi POSSEBBTJIOT. ' London, March fc The Mcsopotamian cavalry an fit miles from Bagdad, which GfMtlll Maude's advance guards are exptettd fj# reach shortly. " • , l ' The campaign against Turlay fett ( ' sensational posibilities. The AziMM , , crossed the Syrian frontier mill UUUlUtlfl » r the Turkish positions at Shellal, WUdj > were constructed to protect the MU& j railway to Jerusalem. The Turk* Mr bombing the railway, fearing lta BIN) " ' in a further advance. Shcllal is an unimportant villagt, \HI the occupation of the positions OIMM '' the way for progress 1 . . ' The position on the Tigris !» mtft promising, as the Turks are now nub outnumbered and Bagdad 1* wilhlji reach. Its occupation would hate fltt enormous effect on the Turk* thli>i> ~ There is«>ven a faint posibility tt»fc tt would prove decisive in the Tuttom . minims. The Mesoi<otami|rr' seaaOHl it, ,' however, far advanced. The riw W,' , rising, and the melting snows of "fht ' t Taurus will soon bring 'floods. It is not known what lies beyond Ctesiphon, but General Townahend Wfl« unable to take ships beyond Lajj, wUoV General Maude's cavalry has now roach' ed. (ieneral Townshend found the rlvef ( banks studded with artillery, Laj] !>«• \ ing the first of the deep line of Bagdad defences. The Tigris position is largely goMnr< ed by the prospects of maintaining our long line of communications from th» Persian Quit. The railway is now %p« proathing Kut. The Turkish prospects of reinforcing ' the troops on the Tigris are momentarily poor. According to German report* the Bagdad railway has lieen completeed to Terablus, on the Euphrates, whence troops can take river barges to ■ a point twenty miles from Bagdad, with which it is connected hy a light railway. The. Turks are apparently endeavouring to get the divisions In' Persia hack across the. oldest road 111 '" the world in time to save Bagdad. Thera ,■' .are three Persian columns now converge ing upon this road west of Ahadabad. Meanwhile the Russians in the Cau« casus are more than holding their own, while the Hermans are retaining ' at least ten Turkish divisions in Galiela, ' Rmnnania, mid Macedonia, callous to Turkey's serious plight in Syria, Mwo< potamia, Persia and tho Caucasus. " ',

PURSUING THE ENEMY. , LITTLE OPPOSITION ENCOUKi TERED. Bagdad Within Beach, Aust and N.Z. Cable Assn and Setttefl -, Received March 9, 0.10 p.m. London, March 0. Mesopotamia official.—During our pu> . suit, the troops met little opposition. Tlie cavalry traversing Ctosrphon blvoU* ' niked at Rawi, fourteen mileß from tttfc southern outskirts of Bagdad. .. UNITE]} j STATES* THE UNSCRUPULOUS HUN. GERMAN-PERUVIAN PLOT. TO FOSTER COMMERCE RAIDING. ' Washington, March 8. The Germans sought to involve offl> • 1 cers and men of the Peruvian navy '. in plots to raid Allied commerce in the Pacific Ocean. British warships aelEdil' ' a German agent on the. high scan In' January, and discovered that Peruvian officers were preparing to utilino two submarines for a raid on commerce, The Gorman agent had extensively bribed Peruvians, and sought to ob£ablith ft series of submarine bases along the I'* l ruvian coast. Information was handed. over to Peru, and the culprits arrcßUd, > and afterwards the United State* W8» informed. THE MEXICAN INTRIGUE. BRIBING VILLA TO RAID AMERICA, IMPENDING ARRESTS. New York, March 8. The United Press representative aftw a visit to all parts of Mexico, loaiWMl on the highest authority thai: Immidl* atoly after Herr von Zimmennann'i note reached Mexico, German agenta urged Villa to make a raid against America in the event of hostilities between the United States and Germany. The agent offered Villa £50.01)15" !» gold to bind the, compact, promising a . monthly allowance for the upkeep "of the army, Tims the schemers apsurcd Mexican annoyance of America, even if Canaan jwas not seduced. A German cabal close to CarrauVl intimates wcro the instigator of Carranzas notes to neutrals asking an em-bur-go on supplies to belligerent!. Il was originally hoped to hutum &*• ranza to cut off oil exports from. Tam> pio'o, so as to cause Britain to land troops to .protect the wells, giving caUM of trouble between Britain and Amirl'' At Washington responsible offioiall ttd« mit the truth of the stories of GenUKQ intrigue against India The revelation* of German plotting and her vrfdeapCMd plans -will'now lead to arrests io.tae Philippines. There fa daoumentatT Wh V'.-; dente o| a?Tf»r-wi»elilna •gg^BjAjjjjjt^i':