To balance this, Pedro Navarro himself led multiple raids into local Zayyanid towns, taking the population as prisoners and seizing all riches.

Of course Abu Abdullah V could not allow such incursions into his territory, and after meeting with multiple of his commanders, such as Ahmed Bin Ghanem, governor of Beni Rached,[4] and Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn al-Sheikh al-Hajj, a sheikh of Tlemcen, he decided to rally an army of loyal tribes, from all over the country, including the tribes of Beni Rached led by Ahmed.

In 1507 Pedro launched the raid into central Maghreb, plundering 3 villages near Mers-el-Kébir, and routing the resistance led by a local tribal chief.

The main Algerian force arrived just in time, and after finding out the location of their Spanish foes, started organizing an ambush against them.

The battle was a major defeat for Spain as they were overwhelmed both by the ruthless North African sun, and the large number of enemies.