Battle of Bouzegza

The Battle of Bouzegza took place during the Algerian War in the Berber-speaking region of the Adrar Azegzaw massif (Djebel Bouzegza, which means "Bouzegza Mountain"), at the far eastern end of the Mitidja Plain.

On August 4, 8 and 12, 1957, Ali Khodja of the National Liberation Army (ALN), reinforced with local units, faced French Army units commanded by several generals, including Jacques Massu

Before 4 August 1957
According to the French, the battle followed an ambush near Médéa in late July 1957 against a section of the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment, in which 14 men were killed and 8 wounded. According to the Algerians, a medic from the local unit in Palestro commanded by Si Boualem, captured in a guerrilla action, told the French his unit was in Bouzegza. He knew it was not but did not know of the presence in this place of Ali Khodja.

The battle August 4
In spite of its numbers and considerable resources, the French army suffered a heavy defeat on the 4th of August. The 2nd squadron of the 2nd Regiment of Dragoons, confounding Ali Khodja with French soldiers, lost many men. Major Azzedine said an article in the daily Le Monde, published the day after the incident, reported French casualties in the order of 600 dead, wounded and disappeared, and the fighters of the Wilaya IV deplorable only a few wounded . The article in Le Monde in question, citing the French military authorities, mentions in fact 21 killed and 18 French wounded. According to the history of the [[2nd Dragoon Regiment (France), the losses are 29 killed, 12 wounded and 2 missing . According to the FLN, the commando suffered only one wounded, the rebels killed by the French army being moussebiline premises and civilians.

New French closure in August 12
Ali Khodja was joined by other units. The NLP soldiers were severely attacked on the 12th by the paratroopers of the 2nd Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment and the 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment 4, the French recovering on this occasion some of the weapons captured by the rebels. According to Commander Azzedine, some ferkas under the orders of Si Boualem are practically decimated, while the commando loses a dozen killed. Thanks to his information networks and his knowledge of the terrain, the commando Ali Khodja manages to disengage and retreat with the least damage possible (according to Commander Azzedine: a few killed and a dozen wounded).