| Conflict: | Attack on Lebouirate |
| Place: | Lebouirate, Morocco |
| Partof: | Western Sahara War |
| Result: | Decisive Polisario Front victory[1] [2] |
| Combatant1: | Polisario Front |
| Combatant2: |  Morocco |
| Commander1: | Lahbib Ayoub |
| Commander2: | Mohamed Azelmat [3] |
| Date: | 24 August 1979 |
| Casualties2: | 92-230 killed[4] [5]
|
| Casualties1: | Sixty-six Sahrawi citizens were released |
| Strength1: | 150[6] |
| Strength2: | 600-780[7] |
The Attack on Lebouirate was a significant military engagement that took place during the ongoing Western Sahara conflict between the Moroccan government and the Polisario Front.
The Moroccan communiqué reported that the attack on Lebouirate was executed by Polisario guerrilla forces, who caught the garrison commander off guard. The commander abandoned his position, allowing the enemy to seize control of the attacked locality, which they held throughout August 24. The Moroccan troops suffered a serious defeat as a large number of defenders at the base were massacred during the attack.[8]
Two days after the incident, the Moroccan ministry of information officially admitted the fall of the Lebouirate base. Squadron Leader Azelmat, who commanded the garrison, was criticized for failing to offer adequate resistance to the attacking Polisario forces. The lack of opposition resulted in the abandonment of defensive positions and the loss of a significant amount of military equipment.
