SPAIN: Siege of Tifaruin

Spanish troops in Morocco defeated the Moors in another episode of the spasmodic Moroccan War (TIME, Aug. 20, Aug. 27).

Abd-el-Krim, Chief of the Riffian tribesmen, with the aid of the Kabyles and Beni Said tribes besieged the Spanish Garrison at Tifaruin. Two relief columns, comprising in all 22,000 men, were despatched from Melilla. On arrival at Tifaruin the Spanish commanders found the Moroccantribes holding fortified positions around the garrison. The two columns separated, one made a surprise attack from the rear, the other attacked from the front. After bloody fighting the Moors fled. The garrison had been relieved in the nick of time; their water supply had given out.

King Alfonso of Spain and the War Ministry at Madrid telegraphed their congratulations to the garrison.

The victory over the Moors is said to have averted a crisis in political affairs in Spain. The war has never been popular with the proletariat, but the honor of the Army was at stake. There was also an international, aspect of the war. Spain undertook definite obligations when the Algeciras Conference (1906) placed the zone under her rule, and she has never fulfilled them. Besides, Spain is confronted with an orderly rule in French Morocco and complaints from the Italians in Tripolitania, who declare that Spain’s inability to quell the Riffians reacts with bad effect on her own natives. Both at home and abroad a victory in Morocco was indispensable to Spain.

The Spanish have 56,000 men in Morocco and are said to be opposing an enemy of not more than 11,000 Moors. The question of Spanish inefficiency has consequently been raised. The following notes are excerpted from explanations given by competent officers:

The Spaniard cannot make headway against the Moor because of: 1) the long line of weak positions, mostly without intercommunication, stretching across a broken country 30 miles on a straight line from Afrau along the seacoast to Dardrius;

2) the ability of the Moors to penetrate through the deep ravines betweenthe positions and isolate any one of them from the remainder whenever they feel so inclined; 3) the innumerable advanced posts of the front line, containing small garrisons which must be kept constantly supplied with fresh food and ammunition. Taking these forward means the frequent employment of strong convoying columns, which always are open to attack from a lurking enemy lying in wait in rocky fastnesses where it is impossible to locate them by means of airplanes; 4) malaria and dysentery.

It is reported that 10,000 casualties have occurred among the troops since July, 1921, exclusive of those taken ill with malaria and dysentery.

The Riffian version of the ” victory ” of Tifaruin is that 739 Spanishwere killed, while it took two days to remove the enemy wounded. Furthermore, the communiqué states that it will take several days to remove the vast quantities of supplies captured from the Spanish forces.