The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-03-12
Official Press Bureau in
London Announces Fall
of Ancient Bagdad.
HISTORY GOES BACK
TO NEBUCHADNEZZAR
Once City Was Largest and
Wealthiest in World; Cen
ter of Culture

London, March 1l.-Bagdad. the
eh'ef Turkish city in Mesopotamia
and formerly the capital of the empire
of tho Caliphs, has been captured by
the British forces. Announcement Of
the capitulation of the city was made
this evening by the British official
press bureau
The statement was issued on receipt
Of telegram from General Maude.
saying the British forces had occu-
pied Bagdad early Sunday morning,
No details OF the capture of the city
were contained in the dispatch. Dur
ing til" day the following official re-
port was received concerning the op-
erations against Bagdad, carrying
them up to Saturday morning, when
the Turks had been forced back to
within threo miles west and southwest
of the city.
British Cross River
''Nur forces engaged with the Turks
on the Diala line the night Of the
eighth and succeeded, despite the
bright moonlight, in effccting a sur
prise crossing of the Diala and estab-
fishing a strong post on the right bank
thereof Meanwhile on the morning
of the eighth. the Tigris having been
hridgod at some distance downstream,
4 British detachment marched UP the
right bank and found the enemy hold
ing q position about six miles south
west Of i'ngdad,
'Fho enemy was driven from this
position 10 another position two miles
in tn rear. purng the night of the
ninth u passage of the Diala was
forced and "ur troops advanced some
foHr miles toward Bagdad
Back to Bagdad.
"During the ninth our forces on the
right bank CTigris) drove the enemy
from his second position. This ad-
vantage. Notwithstanding n binding
duBtSt"rm and u violent gale, was
pressed on tho morning of the tenth,
tn" Turks being pushed back to within
thr"" miles west and southwest of
Bagdad."
Gives British Prestige
The fan Of RaGdad, besides ending
German hopes of rear eastern do
minion based on a Berlin Bagdad rail-
way will rCvcrberatc throughout the
Mohammedan empires and 1t is ex-
poctcd will more than rehabilitate
British prestige in the far east, dam
aged by the earlier loss of ltut ell
Amara.
Perhaps no moro welcome. news
could come at a time when the British
public for the, first time. owing to the
submarine war. is beginning to feel
| The effects Of the war in \ greatly re-
| duccd food supply besides being
| thrown into depression by the revela-
, tons of the Dardanelles report. Fur
| ther news must be awaited before it is
| known whether General Maude made
| important captures of Turkish troops
| or guns, either before Or at Bagdad
Little Resistance.
Apparently the occupation was eff
| feCtcd without resistance and with
only slight losses. Even If the Turks
| succeeded in extricating all their
| forces the loss of Bagdad is grave
| blow to them. Bagdad has been the
base for all Turkish operations in
Persia. Up to within a few days the
! Turks occupied about 10000 square
miles of Persian territory. but with
| the Russians pressing them closely
| from Kirmanshah as well as from the
direction of Erzerum. indications point
TO a speedy, junction of the British and
Russian forces which weuldSsoon, COM
pei the Turkish evacuation of Persian
territory.