Battle of Misrata (2011)

Battle of Misrata
	Part of the Libyan Civil War
	; Changes in frontlines during the Battle of Misrata
Date	18 February – 15 May 2011
Location	Misrata, Libya
Result	Anti-Gaddafi victory Rebels take full control of the entire city.; Port reopens after it was partially closed due to artillery fire and mines from 29 April to 9 May; All of the city's public utilities shut down; Rebels advance to Dafniya, west of Misrata, and the outskirts of Tawergha, south of Misrata;
Belligerents
Anti-Gaddafi forces National Liberation Army; Foreign military advisors; NATO command France; United Kingdom; United States; Canada;	Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Gaddafi Loyalists; Pro-Gaddafi Armed Forces; Pro-Gaddafi Army Elements of the Khamis Brigade; ; Libyan Navy; Foreign mercenaries ;
Commanders and leaders
Ibrahim Baitulmal; Nuri Abdullah Abdul latif; Salah Badi; Ali Attalah Obeidi †	Khamis Gaddafi (from 12 March); Nabih Zayid; Albarrani Shkal
Strength
3,000–5,000	Hamza Brigade (initially); Khamis Brigade (since 12 March) 8,000;
Casualties and losses
1,215 killed; 900 missing or captured*; 4,000 wounded; 1+ tank destroyed	358 killed; 150-230 captured; 24 tanks destroyed; (20 T-72s, 4 T-55s); 2 IFVs destroyed; 1 Shilka destroyed; 3 APCs destroyed; 1 IMR-2 destroyed; ; 1 helicopter shot down 32–44 tanks destroyed or damaged; 1 Shilka destroyed; 1 MRLs destroyed; ; 6 Soko G-2 Galeb aircraft destroyed; 2 attack helicopters destroyed; ; 1 patrol boat destroyed; 1 coast guard vessel damaged; 1 patrol boat damaged; (by Coalition forces, UN/NATO claim)
	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, 4 journalists 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

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 and the suffering of its 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.

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