Battle of Misrata | |||||||
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Part of the Libyan Civil War | |||||||
Changes in frontlines during the Battle of Misrata |
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Belligerents | |||||||
Armed forces of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Ibrahim Baitulmal Nuri Abdullah Abdul latif Salah Badi Ali Attalah Obeidi † |
Khamis Gaddafi (from 12 March) Nabih Zayid Albarrani Shkal |
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Strength | |||||||
3,000–5,000 |
Hamza Brigade (initially)
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Casualties and losses | |||||||
1,215 killed* 900 missing or captured** 4,000 wounded at least 1 tank destroyed |
358 killed 32–44 tanks destroyed or damaged, 1 Shilka, 1 mobile MRL, 6 Soko G-2 Galeb aircraft, 2 Mi-35 attack helicopters and 1 MFPB destroyed and 1 coast guard vessel and 1 MFPB damaged by Coalition forces (UN/NATO claim) |
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*The number of dead on the rebel side includes both opposition fighters and civilians, of which at least 358 have definitely been confirmed as rebels and 707 as civilians, among whom were 11 migrants, 2 journalists (1 U.S. & U.K.-U.S.) and 1 Ukrainian doctor **Of the missing and captured, 150 civilians were found dead in a mass grave in Tawargha in mid-August and 5 in a grave near Misrata in early October and 8 rebels were found in a grave in November 2012 |
Anti-Gaddafi victory
Hamza Brigade (initially)
Khamis Brigade (since 12 March)
358 killed
150-230 captured
20 T-72 tanks, 4 T-55 tanks, 2 BMPs, 1 Shilka, 3 APCs and 1 IMR-2 destroyed, 1 helicopter shot down
The Battle of Misrata (Arabic: معركة مصراتة), also known as the Siege of Misrata, was a battle of the 2011 Libyan Civil War for the control of Misrata. It was fought between troops loyal to the government of Muammar Gaddafi, and anti-Gaddafi rebels who held Misrata, the third largest city in Libya. Following the initial stages of the uprising, the Libyan government took back most towns in the west of the country, leaving Misrata the only major city under rebel control in Tripolitania. The city soon became the site of one of the war's major battles. The suffering of Misrata's citizens gained worldwide attention. The intensity of fighting, and its importance both strategic and symbolic, earned the battle notice as 'Libya's Stalingrad'. During the siege, the city saw very heavy fighting, came under daily assaults and shelling, and was at times cut off from its seaport, leaving no escape route for Misrata's inhabitants. Following UN military intervention in the civil war, NATO declared that breaking the encirclement of the city was its top priority. It ranks as one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the entire war. In late April and early May, rebel counterattacks successfully retook the city, culminating in the fall of the airport and nearby military airbase on 11 May.