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Looking for help please,

In The Times Jumbo Cryptic Crossword Book 18, crossword number 22, the clue reads:

Managed to catch two men heading west in distant conflict (11)

Answer: psittacosis

It would be appreciated if somebody could explain this answer to me. Normally, I can figure it out, but this one I’m stumped.

Thanks again for your help

I think there's a mistake in the book as the answer to that clue is:

F (RAN COP RUSS IAN W) AR

I was wondering if it was a mistake. The answer you are referring to is the very next clue in the same puzzle. That said, it differs by one word. It says arrest vs. catch. I didn’t think The Times makes mistake.

Thanks for your response

I agree. 7a and 13a are worded identically except for catch vs arrest. While the components make sense in defining Franco- Prussian War the same can't be said of 13a unless it's so clever it escapes me. I did wonder whether there was some play on the fact that the common name for psittacosis is parrot fever with the parroting of clues, but it doesn't really work to my mind. For sanity's sake I'd like to believe it was a mistake but I doubt it. Richard Rogan in his intro did say that eagle-eyed solvers may notice something unusual about the completed solution grid to puzzle no.22 but I'm not sure that's getting at the oddity of the answer to 7a specifically.