Nafusa Mountains campaign

Nafusa Mountains campaign
Part of the Libyan Civil War
Date1 March – 18 August 2011
Location
Nafusa Mountains, Libya
Result

Indecisive

Territorial
changes
  • Pro-Gaddafi forces retake Gharyan, Kikla, Yafran and Rayayna from early March to late May, but lose all of their gains except Gharyan in June.
  • Rebel-held al Galaa cut off and surrounded by pro-Gaddafi forces until the recapture of Yafran
  • Rebels capture and hold the Wazzin border crossing, with some clashes spilling into Tunisia.
  • Rebels capture all towns around the mountains from June to August.
  • Rebels capture Gharyan on 18 August.
    • Belligerents

    Libya Anti-Gaddafi forces

    Tunisia Tunisia

    United Nations UNSC Resolution 1973 forces[2]

    		Libya Armed forces of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
    Commanders and leaders
    Libya Col. Mokhtar Milad Fernana[4]
    (Zintan commander)
    Libya Cdr. Mohammed Ali Madani †[5]
    (1st Zintan commander)
    Libya Cdr. Osama Juwaili[6]
    (2nd Zintan commander)
    Libya Cdr. Ali al-Hajj (Yafran commander)[7]    		 Libya Col. Shu'ayb al-Firjani
    (Zintan area)[8]
    Strength

    7,000~

    200+ rest of Nafusa mountain Towns    		 2,000–4,000[9]
    40–50 tanks
    40 technicals
    (Nalut-Zintan)
    8 MRLs
    (in Zintan)[10]
    Casualties and losses
    517–534 killed*[11]
    136 missing[12]    		 397 killed**[13]
    215[14] – 295[15] captured**
    several tanks destroyed**
    10+ tanks or armoured vehicles captured[16][17]
    *The number of dead on the rebel side also includes civilians.
    **Based largely on unconfirmed rebel claims

    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 Tripoli, the Libyan capital. Along with the city of Misrata, the Nafusa Mountains region was one of the major rebel strongholds in the Tripolitania region of the country.

    1. ^ "Tunisia troops clash with Gaddafi forces -resident". Reuters. 29 April 2011. Archived from the original on 2 May 2011.
    2. ^ "UN clears way for Libyan no-fly zone". 18 March 2011.
    3. ^ "Nato takes control of enforcing Libya no-fly zone". 25 March 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
    4. ^ Daragahi, Borzou (1 July 2011). "Rebels in Libya's west gain ground". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
    5. ^ AFP Wednesday, 7 September 2011 (7 September 2011). "Libya's Zintan Brigade refuses to leave Tripoli". News.asiaone.com. Archived from the original on 7 September 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
    6. ^ "Fierce fighting in Libya's western mountains". CNN. 20 May 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
    7. ^ Doyle, Mark (4 July 2011). "Libya: Why is it taking so long?". BBC. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
    8. ^ Barfi, Barak (31 August 2011). "Why Are Qaddafi's Backers Refusing To Surrender? An Exclusive Look at the Career of a Top Lieutenant". New Republic. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
    9. ^ "Libyan rebels launch assault in western mountains". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
    10. ^ "8 rebels killed in Libya's Zintan". 24 March 2011.
    11. ^ 1 killed (18 March),[1] 9 killed in Yafran (21–22 March),[2] Archived 18 July 2012 at archive.today 10–15 killed in Zintan (22 March),[3] 7 killed (23 March),[4][5] 2 killed (3 April),[6] 8 killed (15 April),[7] 110 killed (17–18 April),[8] 4 killed (19 April),[9] 1 killed (22 April),[10] Archived 20 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine 4 [11]-7 [12] killed (24 April), 2 [13]-3 [14] Archived 30 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine killed (25 April), 3 killed (26 April),[15] 20 killed (28 April),[16] 2 killed (29 April),[17][18] Archived 17 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine 1 killed (1 May),[19] 18 killed (7,11 May),[20] 2 killed in Nalut and Yafran (12–17 May),[21] Archived 22 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine 3 killed in Wazzin (17 May),[22] 7 killed (18 May),[23][dead link‍] 1 killed (19 May),[24], 1 killed (20 May),[25] 1 killed (22 May),[26], 8 killed (26–28 May),[27] Archived 18 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine 3 killed (1 June),[28] Archived 3 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine 100 fighters killed (6–27 June),[29] 20 civilians killed in Al-Rayayna (12–13 June),[30] 2 killed (29 June),[31] 9 killed (30 June – 3 July),[32] 4 killed (5 July),[33] 1 killed (6 July),[34] 8 killed (13 July),[35] 1 killed (24 July),[36] 25 killed (27 July),[37] 4 killed (28 July),[38] 3 killed (31 July),[39] 3 killed (3 August),[40] 3 killed (4 August),[41] 8 killed (6 August),[42] 5 killed (10 August),[43] 2 killed (11 August),[44] 35 killed (13–18 August),[45] 12 [46]-20 [47] killed (17 August), 37 killed (unknown),[48] total of 517–534 reported killed
    12. ^ Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch (14 September 2011). "Libya: Mass Grave Yields 34 Bodies". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
    13. ^ 20 killed in Zintan (6 March),[49] 4 killed in Nalut (18 March),[50] 120 soldiers killed on 24 March in Misrata and Zintan,[51] of which 30 were killed in Misrata,[52] 6 killed in Zintan (4 April),[53] 15 killed in Wazzin (21 April),"AGI News on - LIBYAN INSURGENTS GAIN CONTROL OF BORDER PASS". Archived from the original on 24 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-04-22. 45 killed near Nalut (25 April),[54] 8 killed in Wazzin (28 April),[55] 2 killed in Zintan (28 April),[56] 3 killed in Wazzin (29 April),[57] 21 killed in Nalut and Yafran (12–17 May),[58] Archived 22 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine 8 killed in al-Rayaniya (18 May),[59][dead link‍] 1 killed in Nalut (19 May),[60], 9 killed in Wazzin,[61] 8 killed in Yafran,[62] 100 killed in Al-Rayayna and Zawiet al-Baqool (12–13 June),[63] 1 killed in Al-Rayayna (14 June),[64] 45 killed (17–18 June),[65] 5 killed (6 July),[66] 6 killed (6 August),[67][68] total of 397 reported killed
    14. ^ 52 in Nalut,[69] 13 in Yafran,[70] 50 in al-Galaa [71][permanent dead link‍] 147 captured in Zintan,[72] total of 262 confirmed captured
    15. ^ 18 captured in Nalut (18 March),[73] 3 captured in Yafran (15 April),[74] 14 captured in Wazin (21 April),[75] 17 captured in Nalut (27 April),[76] 32 captured in Kikla (28 May),[77] Archived 18 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine 13 captured in Yafran (19 June),[78] 50 captured in Al-Galaa (23 June),[79][dead link‍] 1 captured (27 June),[80] 147 captured in Zintan [81] total of 295 reported captured
    16. ^ Image Source: www.reuters.com. "A rebel fighter checks a tank, captured from forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in the rebel-held town of Zintan". Allvoices.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
    17. ^ "Libya: Fierce fighting south-west of Tripoli". BBC. 27 June 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2012.