| Battle of Sirte (2015) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theLibyan civil war (2014–2020) | |||||||
 Mathābah al-Madīnah, Assembly building, in Sirte (2007) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Libya Shield Force | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Suliman Ali Mousa[3] |
 Ali Al-Qarqaa(ISIL Emir of Nofaliya) | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | 2,000 fighters[4] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 10 killed[1][5][6] | 41 killed[1][6][7] | ||||||
TheBattle of Sirte refers to the battle in the spring of 2015, in the region ofSirte,Libya, between theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and theLibya Shield Force. ISIL forces had been present in the city since February 2015,[8] before theFall of Nofaliya. After Nofaliya fell to ISIL forces, theTripoli-based government had decided to send reinforcements to recapture Sirte.[9]
The fighting began 14 March 2015, between forces of theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant and the forces of theLibya Shield Force. No death toll was initially given, but the fighting was described as being violent, and stopped at dusk.[10] Among those killed was Ahmed al-Rouissi, aTunisian ISIL commander.[11]
On 18 March, 12 Tripoli government soldiers were killed during fighting against Islamic State fighters; 10 inNofaliya and 2 inBin Jawad.[12]
On 25 March, ISIL attacked a Brigade 166 checkpoint, 15 kilometers west of Sirte, killing five militiamen.[5]
Over the next two months, sporadic fighting took place around Sirte. On 20 May, ISIL forces again attacked a Brigade 166 position. According to a Libya Dawn official, 23 ISIL fighters and one soldier were killed.[6] On 28 May ISIL captured the nearly-ruinedGhardabiya Airbase and theGreat Man-Made River water project outside of Sirte when Libyan Shield Forces withdrew.[1][13] Over the next few days, Libya Shield Forces withdrew to positions 12 miles west of Sirte, after ISIL advanced to the east, south, and west of the city.[1]
During August and September, new clashes erupted in Sirte between pro-Gaddafi loyalists and ISIL forces.[14] On 23 September, ISIL once again asserted its control over the whole of Sirte after it expelled all the remaining pro-Gaddafi elements.
In February 2016, U.S. officials believed that there were 5,000 to 6,000 ISIL fighters in Libya,[15] and gave a maximum estimate of up to 6,500.[16] This marked an increase from previous estimates in the 2,000 to 3,000 range.[15] Many of ISIL's new recruits came from Iraq, Syria and Tunisia.[16] At this point, ISIL's strength was increasing in Libya while simultaneously declining in Iraq and Syria.[15]
In May 2016, theGovernment of National Accord starteda new battle to retake Sirte.
