Episode 95 Resistance's Annihilate a Military Convoy on its Way to Dar Aqouba
Spanish Military Convoy Destroyed on the Road to Dar Aqouba
Following an ambush at Wadi Al-Nakhla near Beni Moussa, Mujahideen fighters halted and devastated a Spanish military convoy en route to Dar Aqouba. The attack demonstrated the ingenuity and tactical effectiveness of the Jebala resistance during the jebala War.
Resistance's Annihilate a Military Convoy on its Way to Dar Aqouba
When the heavily guarded military supply convoy finally departed from the secure urban base of Tetouan, its ultimate destination was the strategic city of Chefchaouen, a crucial stronghold nestled deep within the rugged mountains of Jbala. The tension in the crisp mountain air was palpable as the sprawling column of trucks crawled forward, weighed down by provisions, ammunition, and the heavy burden of colonial ambition. Every twist and turn of the winding mountain tracks felt like a gauntlet waiting to be run.
As the convoy pressed onward, reaching the fertile banks of Wadi Al-Nakhla, the vigilant Mujahideen lay silently in wait, concealed masterfully within the dense vegetation and rocky terrain of Wadi Beni Moussa. They watched with hawkish precision as the long line of vehicles reached the midpoint of the route, just moments before approaching the bustling historical marketplace of Souq Arbaa Beni Hassan. True to their tactical genius, the freedom fighters sprang their trap with devastating synchronicity, erupting from both the front and the rear to cut off all avenues of escape. A hail of intense rifle fire rained down upon the unsuspecting column, violently piercing the metallic bodies of the vehicles and forcing every single truck to grind to an immediate, terrified halt.
What followed next was a masterclass in asymmetric warfare—an astonishing and terrifying tactical trap devised by the Mujahideen to utterly annihilate the enemy soldiers from a distance without exposing themselves prematurely. The ingenious fighters had meticulously gathered unexploded aerial bombs dropped previously by colonial aircraft. With painstaking care, they opened the fuses of these lethal ordnance devices and buried them deep into the soil directly beside the predetermined stopping points along the road, camouflaging the earth meticulously with native grass and brush so that not a single trace remained visible to the passing eye.
Beside each buried bomb, they dug a small secondary hole and planted the trigger mechanism of an old firearm. Extending from the muzzle of this trigger, a hidden wire ran directly underground to connect with the heart of the dormant aerial bomb. Attached to the trigger was a long, thin cord that stretched all the way down the steep slope into the ravine below, where the designated operators crouched in absolute silence.
The operators maintained strict discipline, waiting for the precise prearranged signal to detonate each explosive individually. This signal—consisting of two sharp, consecutive gunshots—would ring out only after the panicked enemy soldiers had scrambled out of their vehicles and gathered in clusters around the trucks to assess the situation and attempt to clear the road. Executing this plan with chilling precision, the Mujahideen constructed three distinct, highly sophisticated ambushes along the stretch. When an operator heard the signal, they pulled the cord, triggering a cataclysmic explosion that ripped through the gathered ranks of the enemy, tearing bodies apart and spreading instant chaos and panic through the Spanish lines.
This brilliant tactical engineering was seamlessly combined with relentless, continuous volleys of rifle fire cascading from both mountain flanks directly onto the demoralized convoy guards. The sheer volume and intensity of the crossfire left the surviving soldiers completely disoriented, with nowhere to run except into the chaotic abyss of the mountains. Many fled desperately on foot, leaving the stricken convoy entirely vulnerable to the advancing Mujahideen.
The captured trucks remained under heavy guard by the fighters until the deep veil of night fell over the mountains. Under the cover of darkness, the local population and the Mujahideen gathered at the site to collect the spoils of war, stripping the vehicles of every usable item, weapon, and cartridge they could carry. Once every ounce of value had been thoroughly plundered, the empty, mangled skeletons of the trucks were pushed over the steep edges, tumbling down the rocky slopes until they shattered completely and became entirely useless. Meanwhile, the few remaining soldiers who had managed to escape retreated in absolute disarray to the garrison at Dar Aqouba, where they huddled together in fear, waiting helplessly for reinforcements that could only arrive by air. It was precisely because of these dramatic, high-stakes engagements that the rugged hills and strategic ridges of the Beni Hassan tribe held an immense, undeniable value in the overarching theater of war.
The Transformation of the Habana Battle into a Terrible Massacre for the Spanish Army
To truly understand the sheer scale of the catastrophe that befell the invading forces, one must examine the geography of the Habana square—a haunting landscape situated directly between Dar Aqouba and the historic marketplace of Souq Arbaa Beni Hassan within the territory of the Beni Hassan tribe. Spanning an estimated area of approximately twelve square miles, this treacherous battleground lies carved in the shape of a dramatic gorge wedged tightly between two towering mountain ranges. Through this natural corridor runs the vital road connecting Tetouan and Chefchaouen, shadowed constantly by a large, roaring winter torrent that cascades down from the high peaks.
This powerful mountain stream winds its way past the shrine of Sidi Muhammad Al-Hajj, flowing closely beside the main road before emptying into Wadi Sifil and plunging headlong down from the heights of Chefchaouen. There, it converges with other rushing waters descending from the Ghomara mountains to form the mighty Wadi Lou, which ultimately carves its path toward the glittering beaches of Bahr Wadi Lou.
The topography of the region is etched with landmarks that bore witness to the unfolding tragedy. Looking upward from the road toward Chefchaouen, one finds the village of Shrouta resting near Dar Aqouba on the Hassaniya side, while directly opposite lies the village of Al-Achaish on the Khamissiya side—itself an integral part of the Al-Akhmas villages. At the very foot of the mountain slopes linking the Beni Hassan and Al-Akhmas tribes rest the historic settlements of Beni Halil, Buwais, Ubada, and Taghbalu, positioned directly across from Shrouta. This exact terrain became the graveyard for the colonial columns, where imperial ambitions were crushed to dust near the sacred shrine of Sidi Muhammad Al-Hajj close to Souq Arbaa Beni Hassan. Nearby, the village of Awlad Al-Baqal houses the revered sanctuary of the righteous saint Sidi Ahmed Al-Hajj, flanked by the resilient communities of Bu'awn, Sibati, and Batara.
When the military communications department deemed it necessary to establish a model outpost named "Al-Rinfi" right in the heart of the Habana square, they deliberately repurposed the old Souq Arbaa Beni Hassan market, shifting it away from its original location where the skeletal ruins of the old Spanish army still littered the landscape. The crossroads where the ancient path of Souq Arbaa meets the public highway marked the beginning of a perilous descent. Here, the road winds downward through hills and ravines toward Wadi Al-Nakhla, drawing water from the towering peaks of Beni Hassan and Beni Hozmar into the village of Beni Susi. This final settlement, nestled between the borders of the Beni Hassan and Beni Hozmar tribes across a fifteen-mile span, formed the exact perimeter where the legendary Battle of Habana unfolded in all its fiery intensity, before the road finally plunged deeper into the winding, unforgiving switchbacks of the Beni Hassan territory.
See also the previous episodes linked below
المشرف على منصة "أرشيف شمال المغرب" للتوثيق والبحث التاريخي.
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