 Two and a half weeks later , on the evening of 8 January 1917 the mounted units of the Desert Column commanded by Chetwode rode out of El Arish towards Rafa where a 2 @,@ 000 @-@ strong Turkish garrison was based . The attacking force comprised the Australian 1st Light Horse Brigade , 3rd Light Horse Brigade and the New Zealand Mounted Rifles Brigade of the Anzac Mounted Division under the command of Chauvel , the 5th Mounted Brigade and three battalions of the Imperial Camel Corps Brigade . After a long night march , the Egyptian Expeditionary Force attacked the strongly entrenched position at El <unk> . A fierce day @-@ long battle resulted in the mounted troops ( fighting dismounted ) capturing the town around nightfall with the loss of 71 killed and 415 wounded . The Turkish garrison suffered heavily , with 200 killed and another 1 @,@ 600 taken prisoner . 
