GRAVE OUTLOOK.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 September 1922, Page 5

GRAVE OUTLOOK.

VERY CLOSE TO WAR. KEMAL NOT BLUFFING. TURKS’ STRONG ARMY. EAGER TO PRESS ON, By Telegraph —Press Amd.—Copyright. Received Sept. 19, 9.40 p_m. London, Sept. 18. The Daily Telegraph’s Constantinople correspondent ntates that with the British rushing every available unit to the Dardanelles, the military situation in Constantinople is critical. It is no exaggeration to say that Turkey is very close to open war with Britain, at least, and perhaps with France. Allied authorities have decided that Kemal Pasha is not bluffing when he says the military forces of occupation must go. Hopes for a conference which would solve anything are nil. Kemal will be in the position of a dictator unless the Allies are willing to fight. Kemal is moving the bulk of his army northwards. It is in excellent shape, despite its rapid advance to Smyrna. He is threatening the neutral tone of both the Dardanelles and the Bosphorus. Kemal is able to throw 70,000 troops into any battle. Nevertheless, Kemal’s chief card is the instigation of riots and revolution in Constantinople and Thrace. Already disguised Turkish officers have made their appearance in Stamboul. organising bands of chetahs (irregulars’, who will be ready to loot and slay directly the word is given. The troops garrisoning Constantinople are so few that it will be impossible to maintain order. If the mobe break loose, the terrors of Smyrna will be nothing compared with what is in store for the foreign quarters of Constantinople, unless the Allies throw in sufficient troops. The military experts estimate that from 15 to 20 Allied divisions will be needed if Kemal’s thrust is to be parried, and no one knows whence they are coming. The correspondent continues: ‘'British officers told me to-day that Kemal has given the Allies six days to leave Constantinople. The spirit of Kemal’s army is that of a victorious force. The men are eager to press forward. Their discipline is excellent. Gone is the old stiffness which was the product of German instruction. Cameraderie is now established similar to that of the French army. The equipment is first-class. Most of the rifles are the latest French models. They possess Hotchkiss of the latest pattern. They also carry automatic SB. rifles. If the Allied forces fight, they will meet highly-specialised and well-drilled troops, possessing splendid morale, and cherishing legends of Kut-el-Amara, not forgetting Allenby’s victories. ‘ Kemal has another arm in Irak, congisting of new recruits from the Kurdish hill tribes, with a sprinkling cf old veterans. Jowat Pasha is leading this army. He is celebrated for his hatred of everything British. He will be able to keep several regiments of British regulars busy in Mesopotamia while the main Kemalist forces are operating elsewhere Kemal has no thought for any enemy except the British, though he continually refers to the Allied forces. "If war comes, an army of at least three hundred thousand will be required by the Allies to liquidate the situation."