ITALY: Jarabub

Between Egypt and Italian Tripoli, just north of the great Libyan Desert, lies the tiny oasis-city of Jarabub, an excessively important water supply station for the trans-Libyan caravans. There in 1855 the potent sheik, Sidi Mohammed ben Ali ben Es Senussi el Khettabi el Hassani el Idrissi el Mehajiri, established the stronghold of his fraternity or sect, the Senussites, who continue to possess tremendous influence in the region.

Last week Italian airplanes roared and circled above Jarabub. They dropped packets of leaflets by the hundred. The Senussites...

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