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Show RUSS VICTORY RENDERS LEFT FLlISEGiE Importance of Taking of Biths Said to Be Two fold by Petrograd Military Authorities ENTIRE REGION OF VAN CONTROLLED Turk Communications Cut and Reinforcements Will Be Compelled to Take Roundabout Course PETROGRAD March 4 la. London March i i 10 p n lor the second t me n a tr fie over a fortn ght the Puss ans ha e broken thro gh the Turk ish Iront The m ortance of the tak ng 01 B tl s off c ally annc need last n ght s ii the op n on of Buss an mil tary author ties two fold, nasmuch a& t notably nereases the se r ty of the Suss an left flank in the Cancan an operat ons and also furthsr opens the way to Bagdad -and a. junct on w th he B t sh forces Fro n B ths to Bagdad is a distance of si ghtly more than 400 m les The Turks were rush ng reinforce ments from Mesopotam a not only for the defense of B tl s but to ad the Turk sh troops retreat ng from Erze rum These troops will no v be forced to take a roundabout route to reach the defeated Turk sh third army B tl s also serves the Turks as a po nt of comn un cat on between the troops operat ng n the Mush d strict and those about Lake Urum ah over the border n Pers a With the command of the vhole Lake Van ter tory n the r hands the Kuss ans now effectually separate these forces f B tl s is not a fortress but its loca t on gave t a Istrong defense advan tage Tubs an observers est mate the strength of the Turks opposing them in th s B tl s d str ct as two div s ons qf infantry and art llery w th a strong mixture of German troops ATTACK ON BITLIS MADE IN THE NIGHT DURING A STORM PETEOGBAD v a London March 5 3 11 a m The following off c al com mun cation regard ng the capture of B tlis has been ssued by the war of f ce Details of the capture of B tlis show that our troops attacked the pos tion w thout f ring a shot The attack was made at n ght during a snowstorm About 3 o clock n the morn ng a bayonet charge was or dered and the Turks after a des perate res stance were d slodged The Turk sh art llery pos t on was stormed after hand to hand f ght ng as a result of which the de fenders who fought w th the great est desi erat on were all k lied On the pos on and in purs t of the enemv we captured twenty guns of the latest Knpp type all of wh ch were n good cond t on We also captured on the pos t ons a huge quant ty of gun and r fie cartridges and n B ths tself a large depot of art 1 erj mun t on During the pu su t nun rous Turks were sabered The nu ti.be of p s oners has ncreased and includes forty officers ENVER PASHA IS TRYING TO AROUSE MOSLEM HATRED BERLIN, March 4 by wireless to Sayville D apatches from Constantino pie report the anval at Jerusalem of Enver Pasha Turk sh minister of war accompan ed bv Denial Pa ha com mander of the fourth Turk sh armv The Ulemas ( nterpretat on of the Koran) of Palest ne she ks of d ffer (Continued on Page Four ) t RUSSIAN VICTORY HIGHLY IMPORTANT (Continued from Page One ) ent Beets and other prom nent persons rece ved En er Pasha, who also visit ed the heads of Chr st an societ es Prayers were held for the victory of Islam The whole populat on greeted Enver Pasha w th enthus asm |