By Time Magazine
Monday, Apr. 07, 1941
Harar fell the same day as Cheren to a British column advancing from Somaliland in the south. Italian resistance in Marda Pass before Harar was surprisingly light, and the British met almost no resistance at Harar itself. This column's mission—breaking the Addis Ababa-Djibouti railroad—was accomplished at week's end when the British announced they had occupied Dire Dawa, the nearest station to Harar on the railway, and that the Italians had withdrawn westward toward the capital. Main reason given by the Italians for this withdrawal was again British air activity. All week long and all along the railroad, the British bombed trains, supply depots, bridges, tracks. With their communications cut behind them, the Italians at Harar were forced to retire
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