Episode 105: The Appearance of El Zallal After the Trial of Raisouni

A dramatic historical battle scene in a narrow village street engulfed by smoke and fire. Armed resistance fighters emerge from a burning military compound while enemy soldiers fire from fortified positions. Fallen combatants lie among the rubble as mounted reinforcements appear through the haze, capturing the chaos and intensity of a desperate struggle for survival.

The Battle of Dar Al-Shawi — Amid flames, gunfire, and collapsing defenses, Commander El Zallal and his companions fought their way through the burning military headquarters. Surrounded by enemy forces and facing relentless fire, they carved a path through the narrow alleys, turning a desperate escape into one of the most dramatic episodes of the Jebala resistance. The battle left heavy losses on both sides and became a testament to courage, endurance, and sacrifice in the struggle against occupation.

Episode 105: The Appearance of El Zallal After the Trial of Raisouni

The Appearance of the Commander El Zallal

Then came the turn of Commander El Zallal, who resided in the village of Bughaych from the Beni Miswar tribe. This was accompanied by the famous nickname: "The Ram of the Smoker."

Under these circumstances, orders were issued to the mountain tribes to organize a military movement of his men. This movement included seven tribes:

Beni Arus
Sumatah
Beni Youssef
Beni Jroft
Beni Yidir
Beni Humar
Beni Hassan

However, Ahmed Akhayrou did not attend, nor did any of the aforementioned tribesmen besides the leader Ahmed Akhayrou and all the aforementioned tribes participating in the attack alongside Commander El Zallal on the first of Rabi' al-Awwal in the year 1345 AH (corresponding to September 27, 1926).

The mobilization of the forces mentioned under the leadership of Commander El Zallal took place as follows:

The vanguard was assigned to the tribe of Beni Yidir, with the center of its weapons being the new rifle, adequate ammunition, and a choice of marksmen and brave men in battles from every tribe.
Orders were subsequently given to the forces mentioned to set out from their strongholds and distribute themselves among the leaders.

The forces were then divided into four commands directed towards the leaders:

First Command: Headed toward the tribe of Beni Maswar. Forces emerged under the leadership of Commander Muhammad bin Aicha and a detachment under the leadership of Commander Al-Baghdadi, moving towards the houses in the Western Front, advancing at night, bypassing the village of Bughaych, descending to the village houses on the Western Front, and surrounding the houses of Bughaych from the Western side.
Second Command: The forces of the other two commanders advanced and surrounded the village of Bughaych with water for Kahl (gunpowder), splitting into two parts.
Third Command: Launched with the other forces stationed at the front of Beni Yidir via the Al-Ulayyq road.
Fourth Command: The remaining forces launched from the Qalat Al-Narija tribe of Beni Yidir, uniting with the forces from the Eastern side, and went out to encircle the village of Bughaych from the Eastern side.

The other forces participated in surrounding the village of Bughaych from the lower villages of the Beni Maswar tribe, organized under his leadership. Orders were issued to attack the lower villages from the village of Al-Hajajin, Dar Al-Shawi, and neighboring villages until they reached the village of El Ruwaff.

Commander Al-Walidi, the son of the paternal uncle, participated in this attack, alongside five other individuals from our village. They marched to attack the enemy forces in the village from all directions, who were in the strength of a locust swarm spread out.

The resistance from the guards of the headquarters of Commander El Zallal was stronger than many of the ruins, supported by machine guns leading to the battlefield. They set them up on the upper front—the famous house called "The Mud House"—and shelled the house of the commander, who was inside with his brother and Al-Hajj Al-Arabi, surrounded by fire. They emerged from the remaining servants, then emerged with his brother Al-Hajj Al-Arabi from behind the fire, and emerged from the tight military alleys of the military headquarters in Dar Al-Shawi toward the cavalry and riders of the attacking forces, facing bullets from the attackers, heading toward the narrow alleys.

The Decisive Battle and Heavy Losses

The Spanish military forces in the headquarters of Dar Al-Shawi could not withstand the bullets of the attackers, who were accompanied by a detachment of heroic fighters.

As the commander El Zallal was wounded in both hands, he was accompanied by a group of heroes as they faced a barrage of enemy bullets. Commander El Zallal was wounded in both hands, and a group of heroes accompanied him to provide protection.

The archers intercepted them, killing a man from the archers, and three others from them were killed. He cut off their path, so they cleared the way for them and continued on their way toward safety.

Then came those from the Beni Laith tribe who intercepted one of the archers, killed one of them, and captured three others. One of them was executed, saving them the way, and they continued on their way until they reached a spacious area. From there, they continued between those valleys until they emerged from the rugged area, becoming blinded by the terror, and reached the enemy stronghold, moving toward the barracks.

Three individuals fled to the fortified guard center, and when the Spanish forces in the headquarters of Dar Al-Shawi arrived to assist them, they found three individuals fleeing to the fortified guard center. They fired upon them, but they did not hit them, and they continued on their way.

The Spanish guards in the guard center rushed to them, but they did not respond to them, retreating behind their guard center and hastening toward them.

Commander El Zallal did not answer them, and they told him that emissaries from Commander El Zallal had come to them, saying to them: "We are messengers from Commander El Zallal, asking you about the safety and condition of the commander who was wounded behind our center."

The guards rushed toward them, and they entered upon them, informing them of the safety of Commander El Zallal, so the commander threw their weapons down and fled from them.

Some of the soldiers left behind fled, blind and unable to continue walking, until they reached the village of Al-Shawi. Then Spanish forces arrived, carrying weapons on the backs of mules, and continued their journey with them to the headquarters of Al-Rukayb, and from there they continued their journey to the headquarters of Dar Al-Shawi.

As for the fighters who followed them from their guards, they continued on their way to the headquarters of Al-Rukayb, and from there to the headquarters of Dar Al-Shawi, then to the village of Al-Shawi.

Then Spanish forces arrived, carrying weapons on the backs of mules, and they gave them to some of the soldiers who had fled, while the rest of the troops remained behind the artillery shelling.

Then the fighting of the attackers began to weaken gradually until about a hundred fighters remained, while one man from behind them continued the fight of the attackers, for indeed their forces had weakened at the end of the day because of the praise of God, and stood upon it out of fear of the tyranny of the people of the Reef.

The Spoils and the Final Outcome

As for the fighters who followed them, they returned to the base of Al-Rukayb, and from there they continued their journey to the headquarters of Dar Al-Shawi.

Some Spanish forces arrived, carrying weapons on the backs of mules, and they handed them over to some of the soldiers who were left behind, while they remained behind the artillery fire.

As for the fighters who followed them, they returned to the base of Al-Rukayb, and from there they continued their journey to the headquarters of Dar Al-Shawi, and the remaining forces of the Spanish army from the base of Dar Al-Shawi, under the leadership of Voutant, headed to rescue the fighters in Dar Al-Shawi, led by Commander Muhammad bin Aicha and Commander Al-Baghdadi, with the ease of the houses, and Voutant returned following it and wounding of Voutant.

Conclusion

The events detailed in Episode 105 mark a critical turning point in the complex history of the northern Moroccan resistance, particularly in the aftermath of the trial and shifting fortunes surrounding El Raisouni. The large-scale mobilization of the mountain tribes—from Beni Arus and Beni Yidir to Beni Maswar—demonstrates both the widespread solidarity across the region and the intense strategic coordination required to confront well-fortified positions.

Commander El Zallal’s campaign, famously dubbed "The Ram of the Smoker," illustrates the gritty, high-stakes nature of guerrilla warfare in the rugged terrain of the Rif. Despite fierce initial offensives, heavy artillery shelling, and intricate multi-pronged encirclements of villages like Bughaych and Dar Al-Shawi, the operation exposes the immense toll exacted on both local fighters and Spanish colonial forces. The friction between entrenched traditional defense tactics and modern military hardware created a brutal theater of attrition.

Ultimately, these skirmishes were not merely isolated tactical engagements; they mirrored the broader, grinding struggle for sovereignty and survival in a fractured landscape. The resilience displayed by the fighters—even as their numbers dwindled under relentless bombardment and counter-attacks—underscores a deep-seated resistance ethos that defined the era. Through such detailed chronicles, history preserves the human cost, strategic complexity, and unrelenting spirit of a population caught in the crucible of colonial expansion and local power dynamics.

Stay with us, for the final chapters of this untold legend are about to unfold, revealing the true cost of courage and the indomitable spirit of a forgotten hero.

بحث هذه المدونة الإلكترونية

أرشيف الطاهر اللهيوي | الذاكرة التاريخية Taher Lhioui Archive | Historical Memory