Battle of Sirte (2011)

For other uses, see Battle of Sirte.

Battle of Sirte
Part of the Second Gulf of Sidra offensive of the First Libyan Civil War

Situation in Sirte just prior to the 20 October assault
Date15 September – 20 October 2011
(1 month and 5 days)
Location
Sirte, Libya
Result

Decisive anti-Gaddafi victory

Belligerents

Libya Libya

NATO NATO command[1]

Libya Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

Commanders and leaders
Libya Hamid Hassy
Libya Mustafa Bin Dardef †[4][5]
Libya Touhami Zayani[6]
Libya Essam Baghhar
Libya Yunus al-Abdali[7]

Libya Muammar Gaddafi (WIA) Executed
Libya Mutassim Gaddafi (WIA) †[8]

Libya Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr †[9]
Libya Mansour Dhao (POW)[10]
Libya Abdel Rahman Abdel Hamid (POW)[11]
Libya Sayyid Gaddaf al-Dam (POW)[12]
Units involved
Unknown People's Guard[13]
Strength
16,000 fighters[14]
163[15]–900[16] technicals		 1,000[15]–5,000[17] fighters (NTC claim)
Casualties and losses
265 killed,[18]
2,030 wounded[19]		 868[20][21][22] killed,
200 wounded,[23][24]
150+ captured[25]
800 civilians killed (NTC claim)[26]
2,151 civilians killed (Loyalist claim)[27][28]

The Battle of Sirte was the final and most decisive battle of the First Libyan Civil War, beginning when the National Liberation Army attacked the last remnants of the Libyan army still loyal to Muammar Gaddafi in his hometown and designated capital of Sirte, on the Gulf of Sidra. As of September 2011, Sirte and Bani Walid were the last strongholds of Gaddafi loyalists and the National Transitional Council hoped that the fall of Sirte would bring the war to an end.[29] The battle and its aftermath marked the final collapse of the four-decade Gaddafi regime.[30] Both Gaddafi and his son, Mutassim, were wounded and captured, then tortured and killed in custody less than an hour later. The month-long battle left Sirte almost completely in ruins, with many buildings damaged or totally destroyed.[31]

  1. ^ "Nato takes control of enforcing Libya no-fly zone". Dawn. 25 March 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
  2. ^ Dziadosz, Alexander (28 September 2011). "Gaddafi hometown a hazardous prize for Libya's NTC". Reuters. Sirte. Archived from the original on 26 November 2014. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  3. ^ Gadhafi diehards force Sirte retreat by NTC fighters
  4. ^ "Libyan troops advance on Sirte in heavy fighting". Times of Malta. 6 September 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  5. ^ "Street fighting rocks Sirte as Clinton visits Tripoli". Ahram Online. 18 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  6. ^ "Libya live Blog". Al Jazeera Blogs. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  7. ^ "Libyan fighters overrun Sirte". The Guardian. 20 October 2011. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  8. ^ "After a day of intense fighting, anti-Gadhafi forces pull back". CNN. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  9. ^ "Gaddafi's Ex-Defense Minister Killed – Report". Sofia News Agency. 20 October 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  10. ^ Fahim, Kareem (22 October 2011). "In His Last Days, Qaddafi Wearied of Fugitive's Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  11. ^ "Gaddafi nephew arrested in Sirte". Times LIVE. 9 October 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  12. ^ "Gaddafi's cousin acquitted". Libya Observer.
  13. ^ Kareem Fahim (22 October 2011). "In his last days, Gadhafi survived on pasta and delusions". Star Tribune. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  14. ^ "Forces attack Gaddafi stronghold Sirte as end of civil war approaches". The Independent. 9 October 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  15. ^ a b "Gaddafi's wife and children flee to Algeria". The Independent. 29 August 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  16. ^ Spencer, Richard (15 September 2011). "Libya: rebels 'enter gates of Sirte'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  17. ^ McCain arrives in Libya as rival forces battle for control
  18. ^ 11 killed (15 September),[1][permanent dead link‍] 13 killed (16 September),[2][permanent dead link‍] 24 killed (17 September),[3] 2 killed (18 September),[4] 4 killed (20 September),[5] 70 killed (21 September – 6 October),[6] 120 killed (7–15 October),[7] 14 killed (18 October),[8] 7 killed (19 October),[9] total of 265 reported killed
  19. ^ 461 wounded (15–28 September; western front)[10] Archived 26 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine 36 wounded (25–26 September; eastern front),[11] 100 wounded (27–28 September; eastern front),[12] Archived 28 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine 18 wounded (29 September),[13] 11 wounded (30 September),"Snipers halt NTC fight for Kadhafi hometown | the Jakarta Globe". Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2013. 133 wounded (1–6 October),[14] 1,100 wounded (7–15 October),[15] 95 wounded (18 October), [16] 76 wounded (19 October),[17] total of 2,030 reported wounded
  20. ^ "Signs of ex-rebel atrocities in Libya grow". CBS News. 25 October 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  21. ^ Report: More than 250 Gaddafi supporters found dead in Sirte
  22. ^ Bastian, Marc (29 October 2011). "Libyans find more bodies in Kadhafi hometown". Google News. Sirte. Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on 4 September 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  23. ^ "Libya: ICRC supplies Sirte hospital with urgently needed medical assistance". Archived from the original on 4 December 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  24. ^ "Humanitarian fears grow in Sirte". Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  25. ^ 60 captured (28 September),"NewsDaily: Libyan NTC forces thrust deep into Gaddafi home town". Archived from the original on 25 September 2011. Retrieved 5 October 2011. 50 captured (9 October),[18] 24 captured (11 October),[19] 15 captured (13 October),"Kadhafi loyalists hit back in Sirte – GEO.tv". Archived from the original on 14 October 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2011. total of 150+ reported captured
  26. ^ Crilly, Rob (3 September 2011). "Libya: Over 800 killed in battle for Gaddafi's home town of Sirte". Telegraph. London. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
  27. ^ "Gadhafi aide: NATO airstrike hits residential area, kills 354 civilians". Haaretz.com. 17 September 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  28. ^ "Gaddafi aide claims NATO strikes killed 151". RTE.ie. 22 September 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  29. ^ "Libya conflict: Pro-Gaddafi troops 'cornered' in Sirte". BBC. 10 October 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
  30. ^ "Libya declares 'liberation' after Khadafy's death, transitional leader says Sharia law will rule". New York Daily News. 23 October 2011. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
  31. ^ "Gadhafi's hometown seems largely destroyed". The News Tribune. 16 October 2011. Archived from the original on 24 December 2011. Retrieved 22 October 2011.