ITALIANS IN EAST

Taranaki Daily News, 14 September 1940, Page 7

ITALIANS IN EAST

INVASION NOT YET BEGUN

Eec. 7.30 p.m. London, Sept. 13. There is no news from British sources regarding Italian claims that the invasion of Egypt has begun. * • Informed circles deciared that reports that an Italian offensive has begun cannot be denied "but official confirmation must await a communique," says the Rome correspondent of the British United Press. While in the past day or two there have been Italian troop movements in the north of Libya in the neighbourhood of Fort Capuzzo — a movement which was to be expected — no Italian troops have yet crossed the Egyptian frontier, it was stated in authoritative circles at London to-day. It has been suggested that the Italians are forming three armies for an attack on Egypt. According to these reports one is to go along the coast via E1 Sollum, the second is to operate north-west towards Wadi Halfa from Kassala, and the third along the Sudan-Egyptian frontier from the neighbourhood of Taheida, which is its base. This army, it is presumed, will attempt to travel straight across 400 or 500 miles of almost waterless desert towards Wadi Halfa to join with the Kassala army. Informed military circles here, while regarding it as quite possible that there might be raids, emphasise that the reports of an attack coming from this direction with any force which could fairly be described as an army should be treated with reserve.