Battle of Sirte (2016)
The Battle of Sirte during the Second Libyan Civil War started in the spring of 2016, in the Sirte District of Libya, between the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the loyalist forces of the Government of National Accord (GNA) backed by the United States. ISIL forces had captured Sirte one year earlier, during the previous battle. The conflict for Sirte was described as ISIL's "last stand" in Libya.[31]
For other uses, see Battle of Sirte.The latter portion of this battle was concurrent with the Battle of Mosul against ISIL in Iraq, with the Raqqa campaign by the Syrian Democratic Forces on ISIL's de facto capital in Syria, and with the Battle of al-Bab in northern Syria.
The offensive[edit]
GNA advance on Sirte, initial gains, and stalemate[edit]
The offensive on Sirte launched on 12 May 2016,[32] under the name “Al-Bunyan Al-Marsoos,” variously translated as "Impenetrable Wall" or "Solid Foundation."[33] Fighting took place east of Assdada, around 80 km (50 miles) south of Misrata.[34] On 16 May, GNA military forces recaptured Abu Grein from ISIL militants.[35] The next day, the GNA took control over the al-Wishkah district, 25 km from Abu Grein.[36] and eventually reached nearly 50 kilometers from Sirte.[33]
On 19 May, an ISIL suicide bomber attacked GNA forces, 90 kilometers west of Sirte, killing 30 soldiers and wounding 50.[37] In late May, pro-GNA military forces seized many locations near the city of Sirte from ISIL, including the Sirte power station, and advanced on the town of Jarif to the south of Sirte.[38][39] Also in late May, the eastern front of Sirte saw action. The Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) captured the towns of Bin Jawad and Noufiliyah from ISIL.[40]
On 4 June, GNA forces captured the Ghardabiya Air Base, 10–20 kilometers south of Sirte's center.[41][42] However, ISIL recaptured the air base the following day.[43]
On 8 June, GNA fighters entered Sirte for the first time after capturing a bridge on the city's western outskirts.[44] The next day, fighting was concentrated near the Ouagadougou conference hall, where ISIL held religious instruction sessions,[45] and GNA forces managed to surround the hall.[46] Meanwhile, some ISIL fighters started retreating from Sirte,[47] while PFG forces advanced within 70 kilometers to the east of Sirte and reached the town of Harawa.[48]
On 10 June, the GNA captured two barracks, a bridge and an intersection in Sirte.[49] In addition, the Libyan Navy secured Sirte's coast and blocked potential escape routes for ISIL via the sea.[12] The following day, street fighting continued to rage in Sirte and heavy clashes took place around the Ouagadougou complex, with GNA forces hitting with artillery fire ISIL positions around the conference centre.[50] On 12 June, GNA forces secured both Sirte's port, airport[32] and a residential area in the east of the city, while fighting was continuing two kilometers from the conference hall.[51] ISIL fighters in the city retreated into a densely built-up area, with snipers taking up positions against the advancing GNA forces.[52] ISIL also started using waves of suicide-bombers to stall approaching GNA forces.[53] Three ISIL suicide car-bombers targeted a field hospital in the west of Sirte, as well as two positions of GNA fighters, including at the Abu Hadi roundabout in the southeast of the city.[54]
On 13 June, the GNA advance in Sirte slowed as they reached the residential areas near the city center. ISIL fighters were holed up in the central and northern part of Sirte and a GNA counter-attack against ISIL positions at the town's main western entrance, after the suicide bombings the previous day, was repelled.[55] On 16 June, a suicide attack at a police station in Abu Grain, at a crossroad between Sirte and Misrata, killed 10 soldiers and wounded 7. Also, a six-man GNA scouting team in Sirte was killed and their bodies paraded by ISIL.[53] On 21 June, GNA forces secured areas in the "700" neighbourhood, south of the city center, and gained ground to the west of the center of Sirte in the heavily damaged District No. 2. Other gains included: the Ben Hamal Mosque, the electricity headquarters and the radio station.[56][57] During the advance, the GNA positioned themselves within a kilometer from the conference centre. Meanwhile, GNA fighters withdrew from the port, although they still controlled the port road, due to heavy ISIL sniper fire from a nearby hotel. Some 400 to 500 ISIL fighters were operating in the port area.[58] During the advances, GNA fighters suffered heavy casualties with 39 being killed and another 140 wounded.[57][59] Another report put the number of GNA dead at more than 40.[23]
On 1 July, ISIL fighters were driven out of the "100"[60] and "700" neighbourhoods and GNA forces had surrounded the conference hall. ISIL fighters were also still holed up at a nearby hospital, with snipers and landmines slowing the GNA's progress.[61] The next day, the GNA captured the city center,[62] or at least part of it, as well as the harbor.[23] By 7 July, Mirghani Badawi al-Bashir, nicknamed "Abu-al-Harith", was killed by a drone strike. A leading local ISIL commander and a prominent Sudanese preacher, Mirghani's death was regarded as heavy blow to ISIL by experts.[21]
On 9 July, a mass grave was discovered by GNA forces on a farm on the southern edge of Sirte.[63] The next day, an ISIL ammunition store was hit in the city center by ground fire, while more air-strikes hit other ISIL positions. In turn, ISIL fired Grad missiles at GNA positions in the first, second and third residential districts and the university campus.[64]
On 15 July, heavy clashes erupted around the conference centre leaving 21 GNA soldiers dead and 139 wounded. During the fighting, three ISIL suicide car-bombers, including a Libyan and an Egyptian, hit GNA forces in an unsuccessful counter-attack. GNA fighters managed to enter the conference complex, but had not been able to capture it.[65][66][67] Some 10 days later, the GNA captured the largest ISIL bomb factory in Sirte,[68] a hotel in the eastern part of the city, part of the “Dollar” neighbourhood,[69] and the security headquarters.[70]