PALESTINE.

Taranaki Daily News, 4 December 1917, Page 5

PALESTINE.

DESULTORY FIGHTING. TURKS SURROUNDED AND' CAPTURED. SUCCESSFUL OPERATIONS. London, Dec. 2. Egyptian hoadquarters reports: There lias been a considerable amount of desultory fighting at various parts of the line, and fortunately the results have been uniformly to our advantage. On the left, north-east of Jaffa, the Australian Light Horse carried out a clever operation, resulting in the bag of a number of prisoners near Bir KefcelYamous, south of the river Auja. Yesterday at dawn the Turks found themselves surrounded without the least hope of escape. Last night a further 200 were captured.

The Imperial Camel Brigade, operating on their right, drove the Turks from the trenches, inflicting many casualties on tlie ileeing enemy. The dismounted Yeomanry from Shropshire, Cheshire, and Wales attacked the enemy advanced posts at Beitur-el-Foka, in hilly ground, six miles west of Bires, capturing 300 prisoners, while the Scottish drove the enemy from a ridge northwest, inflicting numerous casualties. The figures bring the total number of prisoners to ( practically 11,000, including 470 officers.

In the centre tho Yeomanry and Notts and Derby Regiments drove back the enemy and captured prisoners. Tiie Turks have latterly been making much more literal use of artillery, and were particularly spiteful at Neby-, Samuel, the famous height which soiiic identify as tiie Miapah of the ancient Hebrews. It is crowned with what was once a Crusaders' church and is now a Moslem sanctuary, covering the reputed grave of Samuel. Although dee-ply venerated by all Moslem opinion, tho mosque was made the target for the Turkish guns, which damaged the tower and tiie siirinc, but the old crusading walls stand a lot of punishment even from modern high explosives. The enemy also attempted an attack on our position, which was easily repulsed by the London troop 3.