First Battle of Zawiya

First Battle of Zawiya
Part of Libyan Civil War
Date24 February – 9/10 March 2011
Location
Result

Decisive pro-Gaddafi victory[1]

  • City retaken by loyalist forces
Belligerents

Libya Anti-Gaddafi forces

Libya Armed forces of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Commanders and leaders
Libya Hussein Darbouk [2] Libya Khamis Gaddafi
Libya Khouildi Hamidi[3]
Libya Mahdi al-Arabi[4]
Libya Muftah Anaqrat [5]
Libya Mohamed Gayth [5]
Strength
300–400[6] Khamis Brigade[7]
Hosban Brigade[8]
Casualties and losses
235[9]–600[10] killed**
300+ wounded[11]
37 captured[12]
up to 50 tanks, APCs and 2S1 Gvozdika howitzers destroyed or captured
65 killed
50 wounded[13]
29–31 captured[14]
4+ T-72 tanks or BMPs destroyed
1 Shilka destroyed[15]
*Unconfirmed rebel claims
**At least 151 of those killed were rebels, possibly more, while the rest were civilians.[16]

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 city quickly fell into rebels hands with soldiers from Libyan Army units defecting. Zawia was the rebel city which was closest to Tripoli, and its control became the main focus of Gaddafi troops. The city was besieged and regularly attacked by loyalists with rebels defending the center of the town. The final assault lasted one week and was led by the Khamis Brigade, the best trained unit of the Libyan army. The rebellion was ultimately crushed in the city and Gaddafi troops took complete control of the town, searching for suspected rebels and erasing any sign of the rebellion.

Along with the Battle of Misrata, the First Battle of Zawiya was one of the bloodiest clashes of the Libyan Civil War.

  1. ^ "Libya Unrest: Entering Zawiya". BBC News. 11 March 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  2. ^ "Forces Fire Tear Gas as Libya Protesters March". Fox News. 4 March 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
  3. ^ "Libya: NATO Kills 19 Civilians in Air Strike". Al Jazeera English.
  4. ^ [1]. The Guardian.
  5. ^ a b "Democratic Underground – Confirmed: 2 of Gaddafi's Imp. Generals Muftah Anaqrat+Gayth Mohamed Gayth Killed in Zawiya Yesterday". Democratic Underground.
  6. ^ "Gaddafi Gets His Revenge: The Price of Rebellion". Time. 11 March 2011. Archived from the original on March 21, 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  7. ^ "Gaddafi Forces Fight on Two Fronts as Opposition Fighters Vow To Take Control in Zawiyah". Sky News. 4 March 2011.
  8. ^ "Zawiyah in Rebel Hands, But Under Siege". News24. 5 March 2011.
  9. ^ 175 killed in the city (24 February – 10 March),[2] 60 killed in out-of-city counterattack (8 March),[3] total of 235 reported deaths
  10. ^ Libya uprising one year on: remembering the Zawiyah massacre - video
  11. ^ "Gaddafi Loaylists Recapture Libya's Zawiyah". 4 March 2011. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
  12. ^ "Libya Forces Try To Halt Rebel Move Toward Capital". Houston Chronicle. 6 March 2011. Archived from the original on March 7, 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  13. ^ "Gaddafi Tanks and Jets Strike Deeper into Rebel Heartland". 10 March 2011.
  14. ^ Government losses – 4 killed,"Sky News Australia - World News Article". Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved March 11, 2011. 11 captured [4][permanent dead link] (24–26 February ), 10 killed, 4–6 captured (28 February ),"Sky News Australia - World News Article". Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved March 1, 2011. 2 killed (2 March),[5] 2 killed (4 March),[6] 18 killed, 3 captured (5 March),[7][8] Archived 2012-04-02 at the Wayback Machine[9] 26 killed, 11 captured (6 March),[10] 3 killed (9 March),[11] total of 65 killed and 26–28 reported captured
  15. ^ Kirkpatrick, David D.; Fahim, Kareem (5 March 2011). "In Libya, Both Sides Gird for Long War as Civilian Toll Mounts". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
  16. ^ 24 killed in initial battle for the town (24–26 February),[12] 4 killed on the outskirts (4 March),[13] 20 killed at the square (4–5 March),[14] 3 killed at the square (7 March),[15] 60 killed in out-of-city counterattack (8 March),[16] 40 killed at the square (9–10 March),[17] Archived 2011-03-12 at the Wayback Machine[18] total of 151 reported killed