Battle of Sirte (2015)

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Battle of Sirte (2015)
Part of the Second Libyan Civil War
Sirte2.jpg
Mathābah al-Madīnah, Assembly building, in Sirte (2007)
Date14 March – 31 May 2015 [1]
(2 months, 2 weeks and 3 days)
Location
Result Major ISIL victory
Belligerents
Flag of Libya.svg Libya Shield Force

AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg  Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

Commanders and leaders

Flag of Libya.svg General Mohammad al-Ajtal (Army Commander) [2]

Flag of Libya.svg Suliman Ali Mousa [3]

AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg Abu Nabil al-Anbari (ISIL commander of North Africa)

Contents

AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg Ali Al-Qarqaa (ISIL Emir of Nofaliya)
Strength
Unknown AQMI Flag asymmetric.svg 2,000 fighters [4]
Casualties and losses
10 killed [1] [5] [6] 41 killed [1] [6] [7]

The Battle of Sirte refers to the battle in the spring of 2015, in the region of Sirte, Libya, between the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Libya Shield Force. ISIL forces had been present in the city since February 2015, [8] before the Fall of Nofaliya. After Nofaliya fell to ISIL forces, the Tripoli-based government had decided to send reinforcements to recapture Sirte. [9]

The battle

The fighting began 14 March 2015, between forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and the forces of the Libya Shield Force. No death toll was initially given, but the fighting was described as being violent, and stopped at dusk. [10] Among those killed was Ahmed al-Rouissi, a Tunisian ISIL commander. [11]

On 18 March, 12 Tripoli government soldiers were killed during fighting against Islamic State fighters; 10 in Nofaliya and 2 in Bin Jawad. [12]

On 25 March, ISIL attacked a Brigade 166 checkpoint, 15 kilometers west of Sirte, killing five militiamen. [5]

Over the next two months, sporadic fighting took place around Sirte. On 20 May, ISIL forces again attacked a Brigade 166 position. According to a Libya Dawn official, 23 ISIL fighters and one soldier were killed. [6] On 28 May ISIL captured the nearly-ruined Ghardabiya Airbase and the Great Man-Made River water project outside of Sirte when Libyan Shield Forces withdrew. [1] [13] Over the next few days, Libya Shield Forces withdrew to positions 12 miles west of Sirte, after ISIL advanced to the east, south, and west of the city. [1]

Aftermath

During August and September, new clashes erupted in Sirte between pro-Gaddafi loyalists and ISIL forces. [14] On 23 September, ISIL once again asserted its control over the whole of Sirte after it expelled all the remaining pro-Gaddafi elements.

In February 2016, U.S. officials believed that there were 5,000 to 6,000 ISIL fighters in Libya, [15] and gave a maximum estimate of up to 6,500. [16] This marked an increase from previous estimates in the 2,000 to 3,000 range. [15] Many of ISIL's new recruits came from Iraq, Syria and Tunisia. [16] At this point, ISIL's strength was increasing in Libya while simultaneously declining in Iraq and Syria. [15]

In May 2016, the Government of National Accord started a new battle to retake Sirte.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sirte</span> Place in Tripolitania, Libya

Sirte, also spelled Sirt, Surt, Sert or Syrte, is a city in Libya. It is located south of the Gulf of Sirte, between Tripoli and Benghazi. It is famously known for its battles, ethnic groups, and loyalty to Muammar Gaddafi. Also due to developments in the First Libyan Civil War, it was briefly the capital of Libya as Tripoli's successor after the Fall of Tripoli from 1 September to 20 October 2011. The settlement was established in the early 20th century by the Italians, at the site of a 19th-century fortress built by the Ottomans. It grew into a city after World War II.

Bin Jawad, also known as Bin Jawwād, Bin Quwad is a town with estimated 8,488 inhabitants in the Sirte District in Libya. It is approximately halfway between Benghazi and Misrata. The nearest settlements are Nofaliya, which about 20 km to the west, and the port of Sidra, which is about 30 km to the southeast of Bin Jawad.

Nofaliya or Nawfaliya is a town in the desert in the Sirte District of Libya. It is west of Libya's major oil ports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Opération Harmattan</span> 2011 French military operation

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaddafi loyalism</span> Sympathetic sentiment towards the overthrown government of Muammar Gaddafi

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">War against the Islamic State</span> Military actions against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derna campaign (2014–2016)</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libyan Crisis (2011–present)</span> Conflicts in Libya from 2011 onwards

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The Fall of Nofaliya refers to the takeover of the town of Nofaliya in Sirte District, Libya, by the self-declared Islamic State in February 2015.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State in Libya</span> Branch of Islamic State in Libya

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Sirte (2016)</span> Battle in the spring of 2016, in the region of Sirte, Libya

The Battle of Sirte started in the spring of 2016, in the Sirte District in Libya, between the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the loyalist forces of the Government of National Accord (GNA) backed by the United States. ISIL forces had captured Sirte one year earlier, during the previous battle. The conflict for Sirte was described as ISIL's "last stand" in Libya.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Tripoli (2018)</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Libya offensive</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Sirte (2020)</span>

The Battle of Sirte took place on January 6, 2020 during the Second Libyan Civil War. The Libyan National Army of Marshal Khalifa Haftar took the city from the forces of the Fayez el-Sarraj Government.

Ali Kanna Sulayman is a Libyan lieutenant general of Tuareg origin. He was the commander of Muammar Gaddafi's southern forces in the First Libyan Civil War. After the end of the Fezzan campaign, he fled to Agadez and helped other Gaddafi loyalists, most notably air force commander Ali Sharif Al-Rifi, escape to Niger.

References

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