Battle of Smara (1979) 1979
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 5 October 1979 – 8 October 1979 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1979 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | Post-1945 (1946 onwards) | derived from year |
| Location | Morocco | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Africa | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Western Sahara War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Royal Moroccan Air Force, Royal Moroccan Army, Sahrawi People's Liberation Army | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 26.7394, -11.6703 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Smara occurred between October 5 and 8, 1979, during the Western Sahara War at Smara, between the Royal Moroccan Armed Forces and the Polisario Front. Both sides asserted divergent narratives of the battle.
The Polisario Front, a political movement demanding the independence of Western Sahara, initiated armed conflict with Mauritanian and Moroccan neighbors as early as 1975. This conflict arose from the Green March and the Madrid Accords, which divided the territory between the two countries. The independence fighters concentrated their efforts on the weak link of the alliance, Mauritania, until its neutralization in the conflict in 1978. In 1979, they launched a deadly offensive against Morocco, forcing it to abandon several localities in the eastern part of the territory.
Smara, a holy city and the second-largest town in Western Sahara, was of paramount importance politically and strategically. Losing this city would be a catastrophe for Morocco. Throughout the year, the city was subjected to repeated harassment, and before the battle, it was encircled with significant defenses.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Smara (1979) (revision 1370274491), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Second Battle of Amgala 1976 · 36 km
- First Battle of Amgala 1976 · 36 km
- Battle of Hausa 1989 · 65 km
- Battle of Guelta Zemmur (1981) 1981 · 191 km
- Battle of Tan-Tan 1979 · 196 km
- Battle of Ain Ben Tili (January 1976) 1976 · 227 km
Other battles of the Western Sahara War
- Battle of Ain Ben Tili (January 1976) 1976
- First Battle of Amgala 1976
- Second Battle of Amgala 1976
- Battle of Al Mahbes (1979) 1979
- Battle of Bir Anzarane (1979) 1979
- Battle of Tan-Tan 1979
- Battle of Guelta Zemmur (1981) 1981
- Battle of Al Mahbes (1985) 1985
- Battles of Farsia and Oum Dreyga 1987
- Battle of Hausa 1989
All 11 battles of the Western Sahara War →
Browse more: battles in Morocco · Africa · Post-1945 battles