 Another 50 prisoners were captured after a further attack before another large retreating column of between 1,500 and 2,000 Ottoman soldiers was seen away moving towards a pass in the hills near Khan Ayash north of Damascus on the Homs road.The column was protected here by a strong fortress defended by a rearguard armed with about 20 machine guns established by the Fourth Army's German 146th Regiment.Without the support of field guns several unsuccessful attacks were launched by the Australian light horsemen on the fortress.