| Bombardment of Chefchaouen | |||||
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| Part of Rif War | |||||
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The Bombardment of Chefchaouen was an aerial bombardment of Chefchaouen, Morocco carried out in the middle of the Rif War by a rogue American squadron in the service of the French colonial empire, the Escadrille Cherifienne, on September 17, 1925. [1]
The motivation to bomb Chefchaouen specifically was to drive the Jebala people out of the war, as it was a city the tribe considered holy. [2]
Paul Ayres Rockwell later wrote: "The city looked lovely from the air, hugging its high mountain and surrounded with many gardens and green cultivations… I looked down upon the numerous sanctuaries, the six mosques, the medieval dungeon, the big square with its fountain playing and fervently hoped none of them had been damaged." [2]
Chefchaouen is a city in northwest Morocco. It is the chief town of the province of the same name and is noted for its buildings in shades of blue, for which it is nicknamed the "Blue City". It is situated in a mountainous region in northern Morocco, between Tétouan and Ouazzane.
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The Escadrille Chérifienne or Escadrille Américaine was an American mercenary squadron fighting for the French colonial empire during the Rif War. It was attached to the Moroccan Royal Guard, or Garde Chérifienne. The squadron was led by Charles Sweeny.