Battle of Sirte (2011)

Battle of Sirte (2011)
Part of the Gulf of Sidra offensive of the 2011 Libyan civil war
Date 15 September 2011 – ongoing Location Sirte, Libya Result Ongoing
Belligerents
National Transitional Council National Liberation Army NATO command	Gaddafi Loyalists Libyan Army Paramilitary forces
Commanders and leaders
Hamid Hassy Mustafa Bendardaf Touhami Zayani (commander of El-Farouk brigade)	Al-Mu'tasim-Billah al-Gaddafi
Strength
12,000 (NTC claim) 900 armed pickups	20,000+ (Gaddafi claim)
Casualties and losses
79 killed, 391-439 wounded, 18 captured	Unknown

The Battle of Sirte is a battle of the 2011 Libyan civil war that began when the National Liberation Army attacked forces loyal to ousted strongman Muammar Gaddafi in his hometown and designated capital of Sirte, on the Gulf of Sidra.

Background

Main article: Gulf of Sidra offensive

Anti-Gaddafi forces made a three-pronged advance toward Sirte over the course of several weeks, pushing forward from Misrata in the west, Brega in the east, and desert positions in the south, but met fierce resistance and suffered heavy casualties in their effort to reach the city.

Battle

15 September

A spokesman for the National Transitional Council claimed that after being stuck no closer than 50km from Sirte for the past several days, opposition fighters had made a major push and reached the western outskirts of Sirte. NTC forces reached the Gharbiyat Bridge, on the southwestern edge of the city, and were encountering resistance from Gaddafi loyalists. In evening, a NTC military spokesman told Reuters that NTC forces managed to enter the city itself where heavy fighting erupted. A few hours later, the Misrata military council announced that their fighters took control of city center and exit road and were cleaning out pockets of resistance, particularly the beachfront where remnants of the Khamis Brigade were believed to be holding out. However, soon after, a spokesman for the opposition forces stated they were 8-10 kilometers from the city center after they had to retreat to treat their casualties.

16 September

Al Jazeera claimed that Sirte's airport, 10 kilometers south of the city, was under NLA control. It was also confirmed that rebel forces had to retreat from the city itself the previous night, after entering it briefly, due to encountering heavy resistance. On 16 September, NTC forces launched a larger offensive into the city and heavy fighting ensued on Sirte's main boulevard, 1st of September St.

According to a man, claiming to be a spokesman for opposition fighters from inside Sirte, rebels controlled much of the city already, and it had been under siege by pro-Gaddafi forces for several months. The man's identity and his claims could not be independently confirmed.

By the evening, opposition forces pulled back from the city after a day of chaotic, fierce street fighting, contradicting the earlier report by the claimed opposition spokesman from Sirte. The support the opposition expected from Sirte's residents did not materialize and loyalists showed more fierce resistance than what was anticipated by the rebels.

17 September

On 17 September, anti-Gaddafi fighters renewed their offensive. Sirte's interim representative in the NTC said he had information that "there is no full control over Sirte" for either side, with parts of the city remaining under loyalist control and other parts of the city being taken by opposition fighters. At least 3 anti-Gaddafi fighters were killed in fighting, and many wounded were evacuated to a field hospital set up at a gas station on the outskirts of Sirte.

On the eastern front, Al Jazeera reported anti-Gaddafi forces were still struggling to advance. A correspondent in Ra's Lanuf said many villages that anti-Gaddafi fighters had entered were found to be deserted, suggesting that their inhabitants had been persuaded to flee by pro-Gaddafi elements.

Later, opposition forces stated that they had captured the city's airport, which they had already claimed to have done one day earlier. An opposition fighter, who was returning from the frontline, stated that rebel forces didn't control even 5% of the city and contradicted his officers claims of the airport takeover by saying that the rebels were only able to enter enemy territory by day but had to pull back during the night. Later, it was confirmed that the airport was still in loyalist hands.

18 September

On 18 September, opposition forces made another incursion into Sirte, but by dusk, they had once again retreated to the city's outskirts.

22 September

Rebels advancing from the east halted their advance on Sirte for a week due to shortage of ammunition. Meanwhile, commanders on the front line west of the town said they had been told to expect further NATO air strikes on Thursday and had orders not to advance.

23 September

During the evening, NTC fighters managed to reach the city's eastern gate with virtually no resistance from pro-Gaddafi forces.

24 September

NTC forces, which were preparing for an assault for the past week, swarmed into the city from the west, taking control of Zafran Square, about 1 mile from city center. Opposition troops advanced to a major TV broadcaster in the city's western part and were encountering heavy resistance from loyalist troops on the main boulevard toward the city center. A rebel spokesman claimed that they expected to capture two western neighborhoods by the evening. A BBC News correspondent reported that anti-Gaddafi fighters had made a particularly swift advance from the east as well, pushing deep into Sirte, and he judged the battle to be tipping in favour of the interim government's forces.

25 September

The NTC forces retreated from the western part of Sirte, after meeting strong resistance from loyalist forces, back to its outskirts. 9 rebels were killed and 97 others wounded in the previous day of fighting.

26 September

NTC forces continued their offensive against Sirte with NTC tanks shelling the city center from a distance of 2 kilometers from the western outskirts. Dr. Eman Mohammed, a civilian doctor who worked at the city's central Ibn Sina Hospital before fleeing the fighting to NTC-held territory, reported that most civilian deaths and injuries appear to have been caused by NTC shelling, causing vengeful relatives to join the pro-Gaddafi forces as armed volunteers. Meanwhile, the main NTC eastern assault body fought their way to 10 kilometers east of the town and then entered city itself few hours later.

27 September

An NTC senior military commander in Tripoli announced that their forces managed to secure the port and were battling for control of the city center where snipers were halting their progress. Opposition troops advancing from the west were still in the city's outskirts while those advancing from the east were pinned down by the snipers at a roundabout approximately 2 kilometers from the city center, at the eastern edge of the town. Later during the day, a rebel fighter came from the roundabout to the opposition lines outside the city and, panicky, requested more reinforcements for those still left behind. The NTC forces that managed to get to the roundabout could not move due to the heavy sniper activity and were constantly hit with accurate artillery and rocket fire, sustaining heavy casualties. However, the reinforcements could not go in because of the heavy artillery barrage between them and the cut-off troops. Heavy face-to-face fighting was also raging at the Mahari hotel.

28 September

The rebel offensive continued with the west and east opposition forces attempting to link up south of the city by capturing the airport, which they had already claimed on several occasions to had seized in the past.

NATO Strikes

16-27 September NATO Strikes
Date	Vehicles	Tanks	Missiles and Missile Launchers	Buildings	Radar and Antennas
16 September	4 Armed Vehicles	0	8 Air Missile Systems	5 Command and Control Nodes	3 Radar Systems
17 September	1 Armed Vehicle	0	4 Multiple Rocket Launchers, 4 Surface to Air Missile Systems	2 Command and Control Nodes	0
18 September	0	0	1 Multiple Rocket Launcher, 4 Air Missile Systems	1 Military Facility, 1 Command and Control Node	0
19 September	1 Armed Vehicle	0	1 Multiple Rocket System	0	0
20 September	0	1	6 Air Missile Systems	2 Military Ammunition/Storage Facilities, 1 Command and Control Node, 1 Military Vehicle Storage Facility	0
21 September	0	0	5 Surface to Air Missile Systems	1 Command and Control Node	0
22 September	0	0	0	1 Ammunition Storage and Military Barracks Facility.	0
23 September	2 Armed Vehicles	0	1 Anti Aircraft Gun	1 Ammunition Storage Facility, 1 Command and Control Node	0
24 September	29 Armed Vehicles	0	0	2 Command and Control Nodes, 1 Military Staging Location, 1 Division Storage Bunker and Radar Facility, 3 Ammunition Storage Facilities, 1 Weapon Firing Position, 1 Ammunition and Vehicle Storage Facility, 1 Vehicle Staging Point	0
25 September	1 Military Support Vehicle	0	1 Multiple Rocket Launcher, 1 Artillery Piece	1 Command And Control Node, 2 Ammunition/Vehicle Storage Facilities, 1 Ammunition Storage Facility	1 Radar Facility
26 September	0	0	0	1 Command And Control Node, 1 Ammunition/Vehicle Storage Facility	0
27 September	0	0	0	1 Ammunition/Vehicle Storage Facility	0
Total	38	1	36	35	4