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Show I TURKS' ROUT I IN CAUCASUS I ; WAXES HUT - ji H 1 Carefully Planned Campaign End B Disastrously. Two Army Corpg i Almost Annihilated In Bi Mountain Pastes H Petrograd, Jan. C A statement B of the general staff of tho army in H tho Caucasus Issued tonight, after H describing in detail tho movement of H tho Turkish troops In December, H fc'0ur tro0''3 ,n tho Tcglon of Oltl H ) checked 'with grtat courago tho Tup H klsh1 advance, desplto tho numerical H; superiority of tho enemy, through B several counter attacks inflicted 1 heavy losses. m Ardahan Recaptured K l"In tho meantime wo detected a B strong Turnlsh column, reinforced by B Mussulman rebels, which was nd- VB vnnclng from tho Panjourotsk and Ja- BM lagouztschamsk passes in tho diroc- B tion of Ardahan. Tho garrison which B wo had left at this point, after hold- m In'g out for soventeen days, fell back H ' 1 a'littlo to tho cast. B "'"Having received reinforcements M wo attacked on January 3 tho Turk. B lsh forces concentrated at Ardahan m and inflicted upon the enomy a Com- m I !le to defeat. Wo captured tho flag of H tho Eighth infantry regiment, a part m of tho Constantinople garrison. m "During tho dovelopment of a sub B sequent action we discovered that m tlio bulk of tho Turkish forces, that B Is to say tho Ninth and Tenth army B corps were taking tho offensive Bla against Sari KamyBh. This move- m niont was undertaken through moun- H tain roads and steep passes buried B deep in snow. The Turkish troops H wore abundantly provided with pro H visions and war material. Tho cno M my had planned tho operation relying M on tho sympathy and help of tho na-, B tives, who previously had been inllu- H enced by Turkish emissaries. M Battle In Mountain Passes H .. "Tlio task of our troops consisted H in holding on tho front Important for- H cea of tho enomy and at tho same H time in offering a resistance strong H enough to chock the Ninth and Tenth H corps. Insplto of tho extraordinary H ' difficulties of this, In splto also of H tho rigors of tho winter nnd of nee H esslty of fighting in passes of moun- H tnlns rising 10,000 foot and covered H . with snow, our valiant troops, aftor H a flcrco battlo extending over ton H days, fulfilled brilliantly tho excep- H ' t'tonnl task which had boon Imposed H upon thorn. H ' "Tlioy repulsed tho frantic nttacks H of tho Turks on tho Hank and on tho H front nnd nt Sari Kamjah enveloped H ' nnd almost annihilated two Turkish H corpsV1 They captured ono of theso H corps with Its commandor, threo dl- H vision generals with their staffs, a H number of ofllccrs, thousnuds of sol H dlcrs and many guns, rapid flrcrs and IBBBB "The fighting was very fierce on tho principal front, and of courso no ccssltatod a chango in the grouping of our forces In regions of secondary Importance. Wo brought certain do- tnchmonts nearer our frontier. Wo H I havo not yet ascertained tho extent H of our booty. Tho pursuit of the H enemy still continues." BBBH - - - |