Battle of Tizi N'Tirghist

On 15 May 1922, the French army launched an offensive against Rifian positions held on the heights of Tizi N'Tirghist. This was an operation intended to regain the initiative and secure communication routes between French mandate zones. The engagement took place in extremely steep terrain, favourable to Rifian defenders. Despite the commitment of aviation and artillery, French troops struggled to advance. The combat bogged down and, after several days of Rifian resistance, the position remained contested.

Following the Spanish disaster at Annual in 1921, France feared an overflow of the Rifian insurrection into its own zone of control. From 1922, the first French offensives aimed to contain Abdelkrim's expansion and demonstrate French colonial power. Tizi N'Tirghist was a strategic lock between the Taza plain and the Rif mountains. Abdelkrim installed fortins, lookouts, and defensive routes there. For the French general staff, it became imperative to strike before the Rif federated other tribes.

The assault was conducted in several waves from the southern passes, with mountain artillery, legionnaire shock units, and aerial reconnaissance support. The Rifians applied a mobile ambush tactic, harassed supply lines, and temporarily encircled several units. The French army attempted to use its artillery pieces on the ridges, but the terrain rendered them difficult to exploit. After several days of heavy losses and without a decisive breakthrough, the offensive was suspended and positions remained contested.

This battle marked the first truly large-scale contact between the French army and Abdelkrim's troops. Although no decisive victory was obtained, it revealed to the French general staff the formidable tactical effectiveness of the Rifians. It led to a revision of colonial strategy in the Rif, with the implementation of a war of attrition, a massive increase in manpower, and greater recourse to aviation and bombing. Politically, it legitimised in the French press a more massive engagement against the 'Rifian peril'.