Ayoub was born in Tifariti, Spanish Sahara in 1951 and served in the Spanish Army.[2]
In 1973, Ayoub became a founding member of the Polisario Front (PF), which aimed to free Western Sahara from Spanish and Moroccan rule. He was close with El-Ouali Mustapha Sayed, who would later become President of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic, and sat on PF's executive committee from 1976 to 1989.[3] He then became Minister of the Occupied Territories (territories in Western Sahara controlled by Morocco).[3]
During the Western Sahara War, Ayoub led many battles. On 30 September 1973, he led an attack on Spanish troops at a base near Amgala. In December 1975, he led a raid in Haouza against Moroccan troops. Following El-Ouali's death, he travelled to Nouadhibou on 6 June 1976 and attempted to assassinate President of Mauritania Moktar Ould Daddah. In May 1977, he led Polisarian forces in the Battle of Zouérat [fr] and attacked several hundred French aid workers and their families. In January 1979, he led troops in the Battle of Tan-Tan, a town located in Moroccan territory. The following month, he attacked garrisons in Jdiriya and Zag. That May, he led the Battle of Bir Anzarane and the Battle of Lebouirate [fr]. During Operation Iman [fr] and the Ras-el-Khanfra [fr] in 1980, he inflicted heavy losses on Moroccan troops. In October 1981, he commanded the Battle of Guelta Zemmur, where Polisarian anti-aircraft units shot down a C-130, a Mirage F1, a Northrop F-5, and a helicopter, all belonging to Morocco. He led attacks on the Moroccan Western Sahara Wall, such as the Battle of Lemseied [fr] in 1983 and the Battle of Guelta Zemmur in 1989.[4]
In 2001, Ayoub's disagreements with Sahrawi President Mohamed Abdelaziz on relations with Algeria led him to depart from the PF.[3] He subsequently left Western Sahara for Mali and joined Mokhtar Belmokhtar.[1]
In October 2002, he moved to Morocco, where he joined forces with King Mohammed VI.[1] He sought to bring back as many refugees as possible and told interviewers of the stranglehold that Algeria held over the PF.[4]
Ayoub left behind his mother and three siblings at a camp in Aousserd, although his wife discreetly joined him in returning to Morocco before he announced his return.[4]
Lahbib Ayoub died on 1 November 2022.[5]