Battle of Misurata
| Battle of Misurata | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of 2011 Libyan uprising | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 |  | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Unknown | Khamis al-Gaddafi(since 12 March) | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Hamza Brigade (initially) Khamis Brigade (since 12 March) | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 199 killed (at least 60 civilians) 122 missing or captured, 1,983 wounded | 110-141 killed, 50 captured, 10 T-72 tanks, 1 BMP and 2 APCs destroyed, 1 helicopter shot down 6 Libyan Soko G-2 Galeb aircrafts and 2 Mi-35 attack helicopters destroyed by Coalition aircraft | ||||||
The Battle of Misurata is a battle of the
The Battle
Rebels capture the city and the air base battle
24-26 February
Gaddafi loyalists armed with
On the evening of the second day of the battle, Gaddafi's forces, supported by tanks, succeeded in retaking part of the military air base. Fighting at the base continued until after midnight, leaving 22 dead.
28 February
On 28 February, it was reported that opposition forces shot down a government helicopter which was attacking the rebel-held radio station. The crew of the helicopter was captured by rebel forces. Also, there was a new attempt by government troops to advance at the air base but it was repelled by the opposition. No casualties occurred during the fighting, except that, eight loyalist soldiers were captured.
3 March
On 3 March, two Libyan Red Crescent medics were wounded by loyalist fire while trying to retrieve the body of a man killed near a government base three days earlier. By this point, it was reported that the rebels were running low on food and ammunition. Also, government troops had succeeded in securing the air base and the military air academy on the outskirts of Misurata.
Rebel ambush in the city center
6 March
On 6 March, the regime attempted to retake Misurata yet again, and sent soldiers and tanks into the city. The rebels allowed the government forces to enter the center of the city so that they could be surrounded and captured. Seven tanks and 25 technicals entered Misurata and three tanks made it all the way to the center before the fighting began and they became trapped. According to local witnesses, the rebels fended off the attack on Misurata by Gaddafi's forces. 21 rebels and civilians were killed, including a 3-year-old boy. 22 of Gaddafi's soldiers were killed, and another 20 captured.
Khamis Brigade arrives and inter-loyalist fighting
12-13 March
On 12 March, a new government attack was underway and loyalist forces were reported to be 10-15 kilometers from the city center. The attack was led by the
The next day, government tanks were still advancing, fighting rebels on the outskirts of the city. Tank shells had struck inside the city, hitting a mosque and an apartment building.
Artillery and tank attacks
16 March
On 16 March, a new artillery attack on Misurata commenced and another round of fighting started. The rebels claimed to have destroyed 16 loyalist tanks and captured 20 government soldiers. However, this was not independently confirmed. 11 opposition members were killed and 20 wounded during the clashes. Doctors in Misurata reported that 60-80 government soldiers had been killed in fighting that day.
17-18 March
On the night of 17 March, government troops started an artillery and tank attack on Misurata. The attack continued well into the next day. During 18 March, a cease-fire was announced by the government, following the United Nations Security council resolution on authorisation for military intervention by foreign countries. However, the attack on Misurata continued for at least another four hours. It was not know if this was deliberate or the orders had not gotten to the troops on the ground in the city yet. By the time the cease-fire was ordered, government troops had already breached the rebel defences on the outskirts of the city and were in Misurata itself with tanks firing randomly and troops conducting house-to-house searches to capture opposition fighters, according to the rebels. Video from the city itself showed damaged streets, following heavy fighting, with at least four destroyed tanks and two armored personel carriers.
The city is breached and continued fighting
19-22 March
On 19 March, loyalist sniper and artillery fire occurred during the morning leaving nine dead in the city. Seven of those were killed due to shelling. Also, Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from both US and British ships and submarines struck a pro-Gaddafi air base and military academy outside the city, causing an undetermined amount of damage. On 20 March, Gaddafi's armour drove into the city center, and heavy fighting continued throughout the day. Four loyalist tanks were seen patrolling the city.
On 21 March, 40 people were reportedly killed and 300 wounded by gunfire and artillery shelling by loyalist forces attempting to clear the city of opposition forces. By this point, the city's main road, called Tripoli Street, had been secured by government troops with 200 soldiers and three tanks positioned along it. The center of the city was also cleared of rebel forces where, during the day, unarmed rebel supporters tried to confront government troops in trying to organise a demonstration but were fired upon by snipers, tanks and artillery as soon as they aproached. That night, a government spokesperson stated that the city was under control of forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi. There was no independent confirmation and an opposition spokesperson in Misurata denied this. Video from fighting during the previous days showed six destroyed government tanks.
On 22 March, artillery shelling and sniper fire in Misurata continued. In the earlier hours of the day, five people, including four children, were killed by an artillery round after they tried leaving their home. Gaddafi's forces concentrated around an abandoned hospital where they were using it as a base.
Overnight, Gaddafi's forces managed to capture the main hospital in Misurata, and had positioned snipers on top of it. The opposition requested a hospital ship to be sent to Misurata's port, the only part of the city still in firm rebel control, to treat the injured, as the injured no longer had a place to go.
Coalition air-strikes and tanks continue to advance
23-26 March
In the early hours of 23 March, coalition forces began launching air-strikes against pro-Gaddafi forces within the city itself. Two air-strikes were launched according to witnesses. Gaddafi's forces stopped artillery shelling and bombarding the city after the air-strikes. Opposition members claimed that the strikes destroyed numerous loyalist tanks near the captured hospital and on the outskirts of the city. However, the next day witnesses from within the city confirmed that only the tanks on the outskirts were bombed, the damage being unknown, while those in the city were not hit at all.
Gaddafi's forces left the main hospital for some time before they came back in the evening, with tanks and artillery weapons, and began attacking and bombarding the surrounding area for 40 minutes. Troops were said to be advancing on the hospital where most of the opposition wounded were being treated. That night, the regime sent warships to Misurata and captured its port.
The next day, there were conflicting reports, with rebels and doctors claiming that the warships retreated from the port, re-securing the port for the rebels. However, this hadn't been independently confirmed. The same day, a
On March 25, more shelling hit the city and in the evening 10-12 loyalist tanks appeared on Tripoli Street. They were hitting rebel positions before retreating to avoid Coalition planes. There was also confusion over whether the port was being blocked by loyalist ships, or whether it had been recaptured by the rebels.
On March 26, Gaddafi's forces launched a massive attack on Misurata, sending in more foreign mercenaries and bombarding the city with mortar shells and tanks. Witnesses described the situation as "very very dire". As during previous days, when coalition planes started appearing over the skies of Misurata artillery and mortar shelling on the city stopped and the tanks pulled back to cover. The French MoD claimed that their fighters destroyed five G-2 Galeb ground attack jets and two Mi-35 attack helicopters at the Misurata airbase while they were preparing to take part in offensive operations against rebels in the city.
References
See also
Retrieved from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Misurata
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