Battle of Agaarweyne
DateOctober 15, 1903
Location
Agaarweyne(Modern day Somali Region,Ethiopia)
Result Dervish victory[1]
Belligerents
Dervish Movement British Empire British Empire
 Ethiopia
Supported by:
 Italy
Commanders and leaders
Mohamed Abdullah Hassan British Empire Arthur Plunkett  †
Strength
Unknown 4041 Ethiopian-british soldiers
Casualties and losses
Heavy

200+ soldiers killed

9 officers killed

The Battle of Agaarweyne (also known as Gumburu) was fought on October 15, 1903, in Agaarweyne between the British under Colonel Plunkett and the forces of Haji Muhammad Abdullah Hassan. Reinforced with a superiority in firearms, Hassan was victorious and defeated the allied force.[2]

This battle was described as so deadly that random birds of prey who were dissected by their owners were found to have human remains of the casualties inside:

Nin la oran jirey Maxamuud Gurey ayaa gorgorkii dooxay, waxaana calooshiisii laga soo saaray 500 oo xiniinyo rag ah. Inta dhabannada la qabsaday ayaa lays wada eegay oo waxa la yiri, ‘War maanta geyiga Soomaaliyeed wax weyn baa ka dhacay oo aan horay loo arkin bal aan war dhawrro
A man called Mahamud Gurey dissected an eagle. Once dissected he found the remains of 500 human testicles inside. Everyone grabbed their own cheeks surprised and looked at one another and said "It seems that the lands of the Somalis have experienced an event of an extreme magnitude, the likes of which have never been seen before! We must investigate futher."[3]

After the clash, the Darawiish confiscated all equipment belonging to the colonialists in that battle, leaving every British officer dead, including Lieutenant General Arthur William Valentine Plunkett.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Moyse-Bartlett, Lieutenant-Colonel H. (2012-02-10). The King's African Rifles - Volume 1. Andrews UK Limited. p. 182. ISBN 978-1-78150-661-5.
  2. ↑ Mukhtar, Mohamed Haji (2003-02-25). Historical Dictionary of Somalia. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6604-1.
  3. ↑ "Qaybta Labaad | maktabadda | Af-Soomaaliga". 2017-03-07. Retrieved 2023-10-04.
  4. ↑ Jardine, Douglas James (1923). The Mad Mullah of Somaliland. H. Jenkins.

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