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The Second Battle of Ajdabiya is a battle during the Libyan Civil War between forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and rebel forces of the Libyan opposition for control of the town of Ajdabiya.

Background

On 30 March, following a government counter-offensive, loyalist forces took control of the town of Brega, just west of Ajdabiya. Rebels attempted a counter-attack to take back the town. For eight days, loyalists and rebels battled for control of Brega. In the end, government troops repelled numereous rebel attacks on the city and managed to push the rebels back to Ajdabiya by 7 April. Following the rebel retreat, government troops were preparing for an attack on the city, which is a gateway to the rebel capital of Benghazi.

The Battle

Shelling of the city starts

By 8 April, most civilians had left Ajdabiya, but rebels regrouped in the city which was still in rebel hands, after their forces fled in panic to several different directions in Ajdabiya to make sure that they were not surrounded following a swift government push down the road from Brega using artillery the previous day. During the day, the rebels sent out a scouting party to verify government troop positions which caused a firefight in which 6 rebels were wounded before they pulled back to Ajdabiya. Later, the loyalists hit the main rebel checkpoint at the western gate of the town with mortar fire which caused the opposition forces to temporarily retreat from the gate to the city center, seven kilometers away. By evening, pro-Gaddafi forces were 11–12 miles from Ajdabiya and once again at its gates, less than two weeks after previously retreating from the town. The British MoD claimed to had destroyed two loyalist tanks in air-strikes during the day near the city.

Loyalist troops surge into Ajdabiya

On 9 April, rebel forces attempted to go back to Brega but only got to the University before having to pull back due to intense shelling. After the rebel retreat, loyalist artillery shelled Ajdabiya, most notably the city's western gate for 30 minutes. Pro-Gaddafi forces had attacked the city from the north, west and south. They had moved through the southern desert overnight to within striking distance of the city. The bombardment killed three rebels before it dropped off after what appeared to be a NATO air-strike. Later however, NATO stated they did not conduct any air-strikes in the vicinity of Ajdabiya during the day. Following the alleged air-strike, government troops pushed into Ajdabiya and spread out across the city, avoiding NATO planes and making it impossible for the pilots to know who to hit. Three hours of heavy street fighting started and eventually the rebels were pushed out to the city's outskirts and appeared to have all but lost the town once again. The fighting at one point came dangerously close to the city's hospital with gunfire being heard several streets away and shells landing nearby. The rebels stated that government forces were aided by sympathizers within Ajdabiya. During the day, a rebel Hind attack helicopter was spotted flying over the city, in defiance of the UN no-fly zone. It was later confirmed to have been shot down by government forces. At sunset, some rebel reinforcements reached the town. The rebels started re-entering the town via the eastern entrance and claimed to be re-establishing control. Smaller loyalist units were still roaming the western parts of the city and government troops were in firm control of the city's western gate. As night fell, the fighting started up again with street battles raging for control of the city's main street, Istanbul Street. According to Al Jazeera, loyalists were reported to be in control of the western part of the town while the rebels were in the city center. There were also reports of fighting for the southern part of the town, while rebels were holding their positions in the northern and eastern part.

Continued loyalist push

On 10 April, street fighting continued with loyalist forces managing to push closer to the city center and finally reaching the heart of the town in the afternoon. The government claimed that loyalist forces had shot down two rebel Chinook helicopters who were in violation of the UN resolution 1973 relating to the no-fly zone. There was no independent confirmation of the claim. However, a rebel spokesman confirmed the previous day that the rebels had sent two helicopters from Tobruk to assist in the battle for the city. NATO claimed to have hit 11 tanks in the early part of the day outside Ajdabiya. A Reuters correspondent saw 15 charred corpses of Gaddafi's forces near six destroyed armored vehicles. Later, the rebels claimed, and evidently Al Jazeera confirmed, that the NATO attacks helped them push out the loyalists from the city. However, by the evening, shelling from the west of the town was still being heard. On April 11, Al Jazeera had reported that Gaddafi's forces had pulled out of the city.

References

1. "UN clears way for Libyan no-fly zone". 18 Mar 2011.
2. "Nato takes control of enforcing Libya no-fly zone". 25 March, 2011. Retrieved 26 March, 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
3. "Diplomats talk amid fierce fighting in key Libyan city". Retrieved 2011-04-09.
4. 11 killed (9-10 April; with 3 killed 10 April), 10 killed (10 April), total of 11-18 reported killed
5. 6 wounded (8 April), 9 wounded (9 April), total of 15 reported wounded
6. "Libya: rebel defences 'failing' as Gaddafi forces move towards Benghazi". Retrieved 2011-04-10.
7. "Gadhafi loyalists besiege Ajdabiya as front line moves east". Retrieved 2011-04-09.
8. "Libyan fighting claims civilians at Ajdabiya". Retrieved 2011-04-10.
9. 8 killed (April 9), 1 executed (April 9), 20-30 killed (April 10), total of 29-39 reported killed
10. "Bombardment blunts Libyan rebels' advance". Retrieved 2011-04-09.
11. "Libya: RAF Tornados destroy seven Libyan tanks". Retrieved 2011-04-09.
12. "Libya Live Blog - April 10". Retrieved 2011-04-10.
13. "Airstrikes help repel advance of Libyan forces". Retrieved 2011-04-10.
14. "How to avoid friendly fire? Libya rebels try pink". Retrieved 2011-04-08.
15. "Battles on for rebel-held Libya town". Retrieved 2011-04-08.
16. "Kadhafi forces fire on western entrance to Ajdabiya: AFP". Retrieved 2011-04-08.
17. "Libya: RAF Tornados destroy seven Libyan tanks". Retrieved 2011-04-09.
18. "Battles on for rebel-held Libya town". Retrieved 2011-04-09.
19. "Libya Live Blog - April 9". Retrieved 2011-04-09.
20. "Libya: Ajdabiya under fire as rebels flee". Retrieved 2011-04-09.
21. "Diplomats talk amid fierce fighting in key Libyan city". Retrieved 2011-04-09.
22. "Libya Live Blog - April 9". Retrieved 2011-04-09.
23. "Libya: rebel defences 'failing' as Gaddafi forces move towards Benghazi". Retrieved 2011-04-10.
24. "Gadhafi loyalists besiege Ajdabiya as front line moves east". Retrieved 2011-04-09.
25. "Libyan military surges on key rebel-held outpost". Retrieved 2011-04-09.
26. "Qaddafi Forces Press Rebels With Attack on a Key City". Retrieved 2011-04-09.
27. "Libyan rebels pushed back". Retrieved 2011-04-09.
28. "Libyan rebels face military surge on key outpost". Retrieved 2011-04-09.
29. "Dozens Dead in Middle East Unrest as Zuma Heads for Libya Cease-Fire Talks". Retrieved 2011-04-09.
30. "Qaddafi Forces Reach Gates of Key Rebel-Held City". Retrieved 2011-04-09.
31. "Libya: rebel defences 'failing' as Gaddafi forces move towards Benghazi". Retrieved 2011-04-10.
32. "Libyan fighting claims civilians at Ajdabiya". Retrieved 2011-04-10.
33. "Diplomats talk amid fierce fighting in key Libyan city". Retrieved 2011-04-09.
34. "NATO air strikes help break attack on east Libya town". Retrieved 2011-04-10.
35. "African Union says Libya accepts cease-fire plan". Retrieved 2011-04-10.
36. "Libya Live Blog - April 10". Retrieved 2011-04-10.
37. "Libya Live Blog - April 11". Retrieved 2011-04-11.

• 2011 Libyan civil war
• Battles involving Libya
• Conflicts in 2011