Ninety-five years ago today, the greatest battle of the Rif resistance began, the Battle of Annual, or in what became known in Spain as the disaster of Annual. where the forces of Muhammad ‘Abd al-Karim al-Khattabi destroyed the 20,000 strong Spanish army of General. Silvestre, on July 22, 1921 at Annual in northeastern of Rif, (about 50km west of Nador).
While it would look like an easy match for Spain, they got defeated at the Battle of Annual and were pursued by the angry tribesmen all the way to the coast. Despite using all technological marvels of the day including mustard gas the Spanish did not manage to defeat the Riffi irregular forces under the command of Muhammad ‘Abd al-Karim al-Khattabi (usually known in Rif as Mulay Muhand).
At the end of the battle, 13,363 Spanish were dead including their General Silvestre and another 7,000 were wounded, led to major political crises in Spain at the one of the most severe defeats ever suffered by a European colonial army .
