Second Gulf of Sidra offensive

For other uses, see Battle of Sirte.
Second Gulf of Sidra offensive
Part of First Libyan Civil War
Date22 August – 20 October 2011
Location
Libyan Coastal Highway
Result

Anti-Gaddafi Victory

  • Anti-Gaddafi forces capture Ra's Lanuf, Bin Jawad and Nofaliya in late August
  • Anti-Gaddafi forces start a full-scale attack on Sirte on 15 September, but are repulsed three times by 29 September[2]
  • New opposition attack on Sirte in October that leads to the capture of the city by anti-Gaddafi forces on 20 October
Belligerents

Libya National Transitional Council

NATO NATO command[1]

Libya Libyan Arab Jamahiriya

Commanders and leaders
Libya Col. Hamid Hassy
Libya Mustafa Bin Dardef †[3][4]

Libya Muammar Gaddafi †
Libya Mutassim Gaddafi †[5]

Libya Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr †[6]
Libya Mansour Dhao (POW)[7]
Libya Abdel Rahman Abdel Hamid (POW)[8]
Strength
16,000 fighters[9]
163[10]–900[11] technicals		 1,000[10]–5,000[12] fighters
Casualties and losses
437 killed[13] 236[14]-903[15] killed*
800 civilians killed (NTC claim)[16]
2,151 civilians killed (Loyalist claim)[17][18]
  • Based largely on unconfirmed rebel and civilian claims

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. The offensive ended on 20 October, with the capture and execution of Muammar Gaddafi[19] 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.[20][21][22]

  1. ^ "Nato takes control of enforcing Libya no-fly zone". 25 March 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2011.
  2. ^ Dziadosz, Alexander (28 September 2011). "Gaddafi hometown a hazardous prize for Libya's NTC". Reuters. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference timesofmalta.com was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Street fighting rocks Sirte as Clinton visits Tripoli". Ahram Online. 18 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  5. ^ "After a day of intense fighting, anti-Gadhafi forces pull back". CNN. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  6. ^ "Bulgaria: Gaddafi's Ex-Defense Minister Killed - Report - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency". Novinite.com. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
  7. ^ Fahim, Kareem (22 October 2011). "In His Last Days, Qaddafi Wearied of Fugitive's Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 October 2011.
  8. ^ "Gaddafi nephew arrested in Sirte". Times LIVE. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
  9. ^ "Forces attack Gaddafi stronghold Sirte as end of civil war approaches". The Independent. 22 October 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  10. ^ a b "Gaddafi's wife and children flee to Algeria". The Independent. 23 October 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  11. ^ Spencer, Richard (15 September 2011). "Libya: rebels 'enter gates of Sirte'". The Daily Telegraph. London. Telegraph. Retrieved 15 September 2011.
  12. ^ "McCain arrives in Libya as rival forces battle for control". Archived from the original on 4 April 2012. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  13. ^ 20 killed (24 August),[1] 45 killed (29 August),"Welcome to the US Petabox". Archived from the original on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 30 August 2011. 1 killed (6 September),[2] 12 killed (8 September),[3][4] 80 killed (10-14 September), 4 killed (13 September),[5] 11 killed (15 September),Turkish PM Erdoğan arrives in Libyan capital[permanent dead link‍] 13 killed (16 September),Libyan troops battle[permanent dead link‍] 24 killed (17 September),[6] 5 killed (18 September),[7] 9 killed (20 September),[8][9] 70 killed (21 September-6 October; in Sirte),[10] 2 killed (22 September outside Sirte),[11] 85 killed (7-12 October),[12] Archived 2011-10-13 at the Wayback Machine 120 killed (7-15 October),[13] 14 killed (18 October),[14] Archived 2011-10-20 at the Wayback Machine 7 killed (19 October),[15] total of 437 reported killed
  14. ^ 10+ killed (23 August),[16] 6 killed (5 September),[17][18] 1 killed (6 September),[19] 18 killed (8 September), [20][21] 3 killed (3 October),[22] 1 killed (5 October),"Ennahar Online - Gaddafi uses, for the first time, a suicide bomber against combatants". Archived from the original on 2014-11-30. Retrieved 2014-11-21. 3 killed (9 October),[23] 7 killed (11 October),[24][25] Archived 2012-04-01 at the Wayback Machine 2 killed (13 October),[26] 53 prisoners killed (15-19 October),[27] 1 killed (16 October),[28] 105 killed (20 October),[29] 26 killed (29 October),[30] total of 236+ reported killed
  15. ^ 10+ killed (23 August),[31] 6 killed (5 September),[32][33] 1 killed (6 September),[34] 18 killed (8 September),[35][36] 842 killed (15 September-20 October),[37]"Channel 6 News » Report: More than 250 Gaddafi supporters found dead in Sirte". Archived from the original on 2011-10-28. Retrieved 2011-10-28. 26 killed (29 October),[38] total of 903 reported killed
  16. ^ Crilly, Rob (3 September 2011). "Libya: Over 800 killed in battle for Gaddafi's home town of Sirte". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  17. ^ "Gadhafi aide: NATO airstrike hits residential area, kills 354 civilians". Haaretz.com. 17 September 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  18. ^ "Gaddafi aide claims NATO strikes killed 151". RTE.ie. 22 September 2011. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  19. ^ "Muammar Gaddafi: How he died". BBC News. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  20. ^ "Gaddafi killed in hometown, Libya eyes future". Reuters. 20 October 2011.
  21. ^ "Gaddafi killed as Sirte falls". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  22. ^ "No Relic, No Shrine: Why Gaddafi's Grave Is a Secret". Time. 26 October 2011. Archived from the original on October 27, 2011.