WAR IN PALESTINE. EAST JORDAN FIGHTING. A TURKISH DEFEAT.

From W. T. MASSEY. JERICHO, Sunday (viâ Cairo, Tuesday).

By dawn this morning an operation east of the Jordan was completed which brought into our hands nearly a thousand Turks and Germans as prisoners, depleted the enemy force by many casualties, and inflicted severe loss on them in war material. It was another successful raid in the Mountains of Gilead.

Since the previous raid on Es Salt and Amman, when the Hedjaz Railway was damaged; the enemy had collected a large force to guard Shunet Nimrin, at the foot of the mountain pass leading from Ghoraniyeh bridge over the Jordan to Es Salt. It is hardly possible to conceive a position of greater strength or more easily defended.

Once across the valley the road winds up for 3,000ft or 4,000ft. Es Salt lies between steep hills and the Tounth Pass is flanked by hills which a few determined men could hold against overwhelming numbers. Six miles northwards there is another track through the mountains, while a third path alongside the Wadi Meidan forms a possible, though difficult, route from the Jordan to Es Salt.

It was decided that Londoners should make a holding attack on Nimrin, keeping the Turks pinned there, while Australian mounted troops proceeded by the northern road towards Es Salt. Some Anzac cavalry moved into the foothills south of Nimrin to harass the enemy if he decided to retire over the rough track to Amman. On Monday night Australian mounted troops and Londoners crossed bridges at Ghoraniyeh and Formen, moved to the east bank of the river. At daybreak on Tuesday the Londoners engaged the enemy positions at Nimrin. The Anzacs southwards were faced in the foothills by machine-gunners, but got as far as was intended. Australian mounted men, overcoming the great difficulties of the country on a narrow front, detached troops to envelop Es Salt from the north, and by Wednesday had surrounded the town, securing 350 prisoners and twenty-nine machine-guns.

During the dark hours of Wednesday morning a large force of Turks from the Nablus area crossed the Jordan well north of Auja, and crept south along the river bank. They moved towards Redhill Ridge, a mass of broken ground. A mounted brigade and Horse Artillery were here guarding the crossing. They had to give way before superior numbers, and the artillery had to abandon nine guns.

The situation at this moment was peculiar, for we were across Nimrin in the Turks’ rear, whole the Turks, in occupation of Redhill, might develop (a movement?) cutting the road which the Australian mounted troops had taken towards Es Salt. Anzac cavalry brought from the south made a rapid march to the high ground north-west of this road. Their swift progress over the wide plain was easily observable through the dust columns, but the Turks were powerless, and the Australian mounted troops’ rear was thus made good.

Preparations were made to remove the prisoners from Es Salt, troops being sent from Es Salt to Howeij to prevent the Turks marching up the Nimrin road, and others engaging considerable reinforcements from Amman and some from across the Jordan. Although greatly outnumbered, the covering troops very successfully held off the enemy, two attacks being heavily defeated. The Turkish dead about Es Salt were numbered by hundreds.