Battle of Al Mahbes (1985)
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Date12 January 1985
| Battle of Al Mahbes (1985) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Western Sahara War | |||||
 | |||||
| |||||
| Belligerents | |||||
 Polisario Front |
 Morocco | ||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||
|
66 killed 6 T-55s 2 BMP-1s 6 other vehicles[1] (Moroccan claim) |
25 Killed 48 wounded (Moroccan claim) 311 killed 3 captured[2] 1 Moroccan Mirage F1 shot down[3] 17 tanks 14 armoured personnel carriers 21 other royal vehicles (Polisario claim) | ||||
  Location within Western Sahara | |||||
The Battle of Mahbes was fought on 12 January 1985 during the Western Sahara War. As part of its Grand-Maghreb offensive, the Polisario Front, with heavy means (tanks and ground-to-air missiles), breaks through the wall of sand defended by the Royal Moroccan armed forces.
The town of Al Mahbes is located behind the 4th sand wall which was being completed.
Polisario forces in this regions was pushed back into their Algerian bases. They will make one last attempt to break through this confinement.[4]
According to the Moroccan Army, the Polisario Front engaged three motorised battalions (on Land Rover), one battalion of T-55 tanks and one mechanised battalion on BMP-1.[1]