File 1341/1921 Pt 1 'Khorassan Intelligence Summaries 1921-1922' [‎492v] (632/1080)

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10
Some time in the second half of July a rebel column raided Skobelev
at night
and put the garrison to flight after killing many.^ They^captured many arms and
other stores and remained in occupation three days, after which the Bolshevit
returned with reinforcements and drove them back to the hills.
The numbers of the rebels are constantly being expanded by deserters from ft
Bolsheviks. The remnants of the Bokharan army which were with the Ex-An/
during his flight have joined up with the rebels. They came in from the directi ^
of Qaratagan.
The rebel forces now form two distinct
groups or armies, Those round
Namangan and Shahr Khan are under Tash Polad, while those in the vicinitv f
Badam and Skobelev are under Sher Muhammad Kor. ^ 0
Previous to the raid on Skobelev there had been an affair near Khanamm •
which the Bolsheviks suffered heavily^ * ^
Economic conditions are as bad at Skobelev as elsewhere. Some 500 famln
refugees have been turned back owing to lack of food and to the unsettled state of
things in the town and district.
The Bolsheviks recently notified the compulsory repatriation of foreign subjects
from Turkestan. The 10th and 15th August were the final dates on wbicli
different categories were expected to take their departure in trains which would be
provided. The reasons dictating this evacuation are not apparent though they
may arise from a necessity to reduce the numbers of mouths to be fed. These
measures probably explain the arrival of several Indians for the notice in Izvestu
specifies British subjects among others.
Two Arabs, residents of Mohammerah, arrived in Meshed at the same time as
a party of Indians returning from Bokhara. They had wandered from Vladivostok
to Askhabad. They were two months at Vladivostok and Omsk, 20 days in
Samara, four days in Orenburg, Tashkent one and a half months, Kagan five days
Askhabad three days. They left the latter on the 6th August. Some description
ot their travels was given by them and is appended below.
Samara.— Most of the troops at Samara have been sent towards Siberia. These
are six hydroplanes there. Food is very scarce, a pound of bread costing 12,000
roubles. Rats are used as food.
TASHKENT.—The garrison numbers about 6,000 of which 560 are Mam,
ese peop e originally came for the purpose of helping the Turks but are now
unable to get away from Bolshevik service. They come from the Punjab, from
. Peshawar, Hyderabad, Deccan, and Jacobabad. They are well treated-pre-
terentially so m the matters of food and clothes. ^
n™ fj? 6 ® ch ° o1 Intelligence is situated between New and Old Tashkent.
Ftt, ]; i*' 8 a ls al ' lal ' I'fl e > 1< Ii 1 an Usmanli Turk (perhaps the same Haidat
jltfiendi who was at the head of the Adalat movement last year).
def»nlkoT Sa / me n S SitU j te v °, n a , mound between Old and New Tashkent. It is
trenches! ^ ^ ^ barbed Wire ' There are six machine S uns “ tk *
to tmops^TctoriesTre cbs^down” tUming ° Ut r ° Ugh Cloti
Semiriectn'n^nViVn 6 , | n,n T l ‘ mos t of the food products being brought in from
bread costs i Rno w 611 * Wher ? the harvest bas been good. Nevertheless, black
roubles Tt cost Vo/.m & P ?“ ld ’ American flour 110,000 roubles and rice 1,000,000
can kk a nnod of fl’ ° ?^' eS to g rind a P ood < 3 6 P°™ds) of wheat. Travellers
for nofooO P d f fl ° Ur at Chern y aevo for 70,000 roubles and sell it at Tashkent
Kasa^ AGA Tbrs!!m e » P ffi“i C0m ?' ( t , ! dant is Ismail ESendi.a Turk, but a native of
kAiil' 1 , Inim v.i.n^rii' ■ It 1 'r :t;; h 1 ;,. 1,83 10 '■ iri1 ^
y g se. (PLe was one of the moving spirits m the beginning