Raid on Ras Lanuf

Last updated
Raid on Ras Lanuf
Part of Libyan Civil War
Date12 September 2011
Location
Result

Indecisive

  • Pro-Gaddafi saboteurs damage oil facilities
  • Anti-Gaddafi forces drive off attackers
Belligerents

Flag of Libya.svg Anti-Gaddafi forces

Flag of Libya (1977-2011).svg Gaddafi loyalists

Commanders and leaders
Flag of Libya.svg Hamid Hassy
Flag of Libya.svg Fadl-Allah Haroun
Unknown
Strength
About 60 refinery workers [1]
Unknown number of fighters
15 saboteurs [2]
Up to 150 fighters [3]
14-40 vehicles [1] [3]
Casualties and losses
15-17 fighters killed, [3] 2 workers wounded [1] Unknown*
*One NTC source claimed 15 loyalists were killed and 10 captured, [2] but later reports made no mention of pro-Gaddafi losses [1] [3]

The raid onRas Lanuf was a hit-and-run attack carried out in the early morning of 12 September 2011 [4] by two groups of fighters loyal to Muammar Gaddafi in an apparently coordinated effort to disrupt oil refinery and export operations in the National Transitional Council-administered port town of Ra's Lanuf, Libya, during the Libyan Civil War.

Contents

Sabotage attempt

According to Colonel Hamid Hassy, 15 people working at the oil terminal in Ra's Lanuf acted as arsonists, setting fire to the oil facility. They clashed with anti-Gaddafi security forces, and five were killed while the rest were arrested, Hasi said. [2] The New York Times was unable to confirm this series of events, which was initially reported by the Associated Press. [3]

Hit-and-run raid

Fadl-Allah Haroun, another anti-Gaddafi commander, reported that a convoy of up to 40 vehicles, reportedly flying the tricolour flag to appear friendly, apparently moving out of a refugee camp 30 km south of Ra's Lanuf attacked the port. He said that 10 pro-Gaddafi attackers were killed in the ensuing shootout, and the pro-Gaddafi forces were forced to retreat. [2] A refinery worker's story differed slightly, saying 14 or 15 trucks carrying pro-Gaddafi fighters had come from the west, perhaps from the loyalist stronghold of Sirte, and attacked the refinery as its 60 staff members slept. There was also no mention of casualties among the attacking force. [1] The fighting reportedly was heaviest around the administration building, with rocket attacks being launched against the refinery, but much of the complex was unscathed. [4] A spokesman for the NTC said 15 to 17 anti-Gaddafi fighters were killed in the attack. [3] There were no further reports of fighting in the city.

Benghazi-based Colonel Ahmed Omar Bani said defenders in Ra's Lanuf reported the attackers "did not look like Libyans" and suggested they could be refugees paid to fight by well-monied Gaddafi loyalists. [3]

Related Research Articles

Ras Lanuf is a Mediterranean town in northern Libya, on the Gulf of Sidra in Tripolitania. The town is also home to the Ra's Lanuf Refinery, completed in 1984, with a crude oil refining capacity of 220,000 bbl/d (35,000 m3/d). The oil refinery is operated by the Ra's Lanuf Oil & Gas Processing Company, a subsidiary of the state-owned National Oil Corporation. Additionally, the city houses the Ra's Lanuf petrochemical complex – a major oil terminal – and oil pipelines: the Amal–Ra's Lanuf, the Messla–Ra's Lanuf, and the Defa-Ra's Lanuf pipeline.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the 2011 Libyan Civil War and military intervention (16 August – 23 October)</span>

The Libyan Civil War began on 17 February 2011 as a civil protest and later evolved into a widespread uprising. By mid-August, anti-Gaddafi forces effectively supported by a NATO-led international coalition were ascendant in Tripolitania, breaking out of the restive Nafusa Mountains in the south to mount an offensive toward the coast and advancing from Misrata on loyalist-held cities and villages from the north and east.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Battle of Brega</span>

The First Battle of Brega was fought during the Libyan Civil War. It began when pro-Gaddafi government troops attacked the city, held by the National Transitional Council, in the early hours of 2 March 2011.

The Battle of Ras Lanuf was a two-phase battle in 2011 during the Libyan Civil War between forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and those loyal to the National Transitional Council. Both forces sought control of the town of Ras Lanuf. The first phase followed two days after the First Battle of Brega which occurred in the town Brega, roughly 130 kilometres (81 mi) to the east of Ras Lanuf. After conquering the town on 4 March, the rebels pushed further west to attack Sirte but they were driven back by government forces and on 11 March, government troops reconquered most of Ras Lanuf.

The Second Battle of Brega took place during the Libyan Civil War. More than 10 days earlier, anti-Gaddafi forces beat back an attempt by loyalist forces to take the town on 2 March 2011, in the First Battle of Brega. Following that battle, rebel forces advanced along the Libyan Coastal Highway, taking the towns of Ra's Lanuf and Bin Jawad. However, after the Battle of Bin Jawad and the Battle of Ra's Lanuf, government troops retook all of the territory lost and were once again threatening Brega by mid-March.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First Gulf of Sidra offensive</span>

The First Gulf of Sidra offensive was the second major rebel offensive of the Libyan Civil War. It was mounted by anti-Gaddafi forces immediately after their victory in the Battle of Ajdabiya. The offensive was meant to have the rebel forces quickly reach Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte.

The Battle of Bin Jawad took place during the Libyan Civil War between forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and anti-Gaddafi forces for control of the town of Bin Jawad.

The Fourth Battle of Brega was a battle during the Libyan Civil War between forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi and forces of the Libyan opposition for control of the strategic town of Brega and its oil port.

The Nafusa Mountains campaign was a series of battles in the Libyan Civil War, fought between loyalist pro-Gaddafi forces and rebel anti-Gaddafi forces in the Nafusa Mountains and, at a later period, in the surrounding plains of western Libya. The mountain range is of strategic importance due to its close proximity to the capital of Tripoli. Along with the city of Misrata, the Nafusa Mountains region was one of the major rebel strongholds in Tripolitania.

The Battle of the Misrata frontline was a battle during the Libyan Civil War between pro-Gaddafi loyalists and anti-Gaddafi forces on the western and southwestern outskirts of Misrata, the third largest city in Libya. It ended when anti-Gaddafi soldiers secured Zliten to the west and Tawergha to the south, establishing a significant buffer zone around the city.

The Second Battle of Zawiya or Zawia took place during the Libyan Civil War between rebel anti-Gaddafi forces and forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi for control of the Tripolitanian city of Zawia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the 2011 Libyan Civil War before military intervention</span>

The Libyan Civil War began on 15 February 2011 as a chain of civil protests and later evolved into a widespread uprising against the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. On 25 February, most of eastern Libya was reported to be under the control of protesters and rebel forces. Gaddafi remained in control of the cities of Tripoli, Sirte and Sabha. By 15 March, however, Gaddafi's forces had retaken more than half a dozen lost cities. Except for most of Cyrenaica and a few Tripolitania cities the majority of cities had returned to Gaddafi government control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the Libyan civil war (2011)</span>

The timeline of the Libyan civil war begins on 15 February 2011 and ends on 20 October 2011. The conflict began with a series of peaceful protests, similar to others of the Arab Spring, later becoming a full-scale civil war between the forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi's government and the anti-Gaddafi forces. The conflict can roughly be divided into two periods before and after external military intervention authorized by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.

The Battle of Tawergha was a military engagement of the Libyan Civil War that began on 11 August 2011 when anti-Gaddafi forces based in Misrata advanced southeast along the road to Sirte in the early morning and attacked Libyan Army positions in the town of Tawergha. It ended on 13 August when rebel troops, after capturing the town, cleared it of snipers and artillery positions threatening Misrata.

The First Battle of Zawiya or Zawia was a battle during the Libyan Civil War between army units and militiamen loyal to Muammar Gaddafi and anti-Gaddafi forces for control of the city of Zawia.

The 2011 Libyan rebel coastal offensive was a major rebel offensive of the Libyan Civil War. It was mounted by anti-Gaddafi forces with the intention of cutting off the supply route from Tunisia for pro-Gaddafi loyalist forces in Tripoli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the 2011 Libyan Civil War and military intervention (19 March – May)</span>

The Libyan Civil War began on 15 February 2011 as a civil protest and later evolved into a widespread uprising. However, by 19 March, Libyan forces under Colonel Muammar Gaddafi were on the brink of a decisive victory over rebels in Libya's east. That day, leading NATO members acted on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 which authorized member states "to take all necessary measures... to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, including Benghazi, while excluding an occupation force".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Gulf of Sidra offensive</span>

The Second Gulf of Sidra offensive was a military operation in the First Libyan Civil War conducted by rebel anti-Gaddafi forces in August and September 2011 to take control of towns along the Gulf of Sidra in an effort to surround Muammar Gaddafi's hometown of Sirte, which was held by pro-Gaddafi forces. It ended on 20 October, with the capture and execution of Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mutassim Gaddafi, along with former defense minister Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr. The Gaddafi loyalists in the area were finally defeated when NTC fighters captured Sirte.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Bani Walid</span>

The Battle of Bani Walid was a military operation in the Libyan Civil War conducted by anti-Gaddafi forces in September and October 2011, in an effort to take control of the desert city of Bani Walid from pro-Gaddafi forces. It began following days of force buildup on the part of the attackers, as well as skirmishes around the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the 2011 Libyan Civil War and military intervention (June – 15 August)</span>

The 2011 Libyan Civil War began on 17 February 2011 as a civil protest and later evolved into a widespread uprising. After a military intervention led by France, the United Kingdom, and the United States on 19 March turned the tide of the conflict at the Second Battle of Benghazi, anti-Gaddafi forces regrouped and established control over Misrata and most of the Nafusa Mountains in Tripolitania and much of the eastern region of Cyrenaica. In mid-May, they finally broke an extended siege of Misrata.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Al Madany, Sherine (12 September 2011). "Gaddafi forces kill 15 at Libyan oil refinery". National Post. Ra's Lanuf. Reuters. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Gadhafi vows to fight as loyalists strike oil hub". Khaleej Times. 12 September 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Barnard, Anne (12 September 2011). "In Flash of Resilience, Qaddafi Loyalists Attack Oil Refinery". The New York Times. Tripoli. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Mon, 12 Sep 2011, 14:22 GMT+3 - Libya". Al Jazeera. 12 September 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.

30°35′12″N18°24′43″E / 30.58667°N 18.41194°E / 30.58667; 18.41194