London, Mar. 3.
The oasis of Kufra, 500 miles south of Benghazi, surrendered to Free French troops on March 1.
This news was received by Free French headquarters here terday.
The Italian garrison, numbering 1,000, has been taken prisoner. It had been besieged by Free French troops of Chad and the Cameroons under the command of Col Leclerc since February 7.
Cabling to Gen. Charles de Gaulle, Col. Leclere added: "Another step to victory. Vive la France."—Reuter.
British Capture Pass Near Keren Cairo, Mar. 3.
British forces have captured an important mountain pass 20 miles north of Keren, Italian stronghold on a high mountain and military key io the conquest of the whole colony of Eritrea.
A military spokesman told Reuter that the success followed "s scrapping of a guerilla nature, that British forces had taken' up a commanding position that would influence operations against Keren.
A column from the north captured the pass, according to a General Headquarters communique. Presumably it is the column advancing from Kelemit, which on Saturday was reported to have made contact with the Italians in a narrow gorge north of Keren.
The communique also reports the satisfactory development of oper: tions in Italian Somaliland, but declares that in Abyssinia the advance on Gendar has slowed down owing to the formidable nature of the mountainous terrain.
[Reuter.
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Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.