First Battle of Benghazi

First Battle of Benghazi
	Part of Libyan Civil War
	; A government revolutionary committee office after it was torched by demonstrators, in Benghazi's downtown.
Date	15–20 February 2011
Location	Benghazi, Bayda, Derna, Libya
Result	Decisive Anti-Gaddafi victory; Beginning of the Libyan Civil War; Benghazi becomes a core of the Anti-Gaddafi forces;
Belligerents
Anti-Gaddafi forces Defected army units; Armed protesters;	Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Commanders and leaders
Abdul Fatah Younis (last day)	Al-Saadi Gaddafi
Strength
10,000	Khamis Brigade; Fadheel Brigade; Tariq Brigade; 325 mercenaries
Casualties and losses
Benghazi:; 110-257 killed; 9 missing; Bayda:; 63 killed; Derna:; 29 killed; Rebel soldiers:; 130 killed; Total:; 332-479 killed; 9 missing; 3 T-54/55 tanks or IFVs destroyed	163 killed; 236 captured; 3 T-54/55 tanks or IFVs destroyed

The First Battle of Benghazi occurred as part of the Libyan Civil War between army units and militiamen loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and anti-Gaddafi forces in February 2011. The battle mainly took place in Benghazi, the second-largest city in Libya, with related clashes occurring in the nearby Cyrenaican cities of Bayda and Derna. In Benghazi itself most of the fighting occurred during a siege of the government-controlled Katiba compound.^[5]

^ "Saadi Gaddafi 'gave order to shoot' in Benghazi revolt". BBC. 21 March 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
^ Chrisafis, Angelique (20 February 2011). "Libya protests: gunshots, screams and talk of revolution". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
^ Hill, Evan (1 March 2011). "The day the Katiba fell". Al Jazeera. Benghazi. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
^ Hauslohner, Abigail (23 February 2011). "Libya's Alleged Foreign Mercenaries: More Gaddafi Victims?". Time. Shahhat. Archived from the original on 26 February 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
^ ^a ^b Schemm, Paul (25 February 2011). "Battle at army base broke Gadhafi hold in Benghazi". Washington Post. Benghazi. Associated Press. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
^ Simpson, John (3 March 2011). "Libya revolt: Gaddafi in crimes against humanity probe". BBC News. Aqayla. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
^ "Libya: detainees, disappeared and missing". Amnesty International. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Over 640 die in Libya unrest". News AU. Agence France-Presse. 24 February 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
^ "Libya Protests: Benghazi Learns To Govern Itself". Huffington Post. Benghazi. Associated Press. 24 February 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2012.

[bbcpanorama-1] "Saadi Gaddafi 'gave order to shoot' in Benghazi revolt". BBC. 21 March 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2011.

[2] Chrisafis, Angelique (20 February 2011). "Libya protests: gunshots, screams and talk of revolution". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 March 2011.

[Tank-Brigade-3] Hill, Evan (1 March 2011). "The day the Katiba fell". Al Jazeera. Benghazi. Retrieved 8 January 2012.

[Time-Foreign-Mercenaries-4] Hauslohner, Abigail (23 February 2011). "Libya's Alleged Foreign Mercenaries: More Gaddafi Victims?". Time. Shahhat. Archived from the original on 26 February 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2011.

[Associated_Press-5] Schemm, Paul (25 February 2011). "Battle at army base broke Gadhafi hold in Benghazi". Washington Post. Benghazi. Associated Press. Retrieved 25 February 2011.

[BBC_news-6] Simpson, John (3 March 2011). "Libya revolt: Gaddafi in crimes against humanity probe". BBC News. Aqayla. Retrieved 3 March 2011.

[7] "Libya: detainees, disappeared and missing". Amnesty International. Retrieved 30 March 2011.

[Correspondents_in_Paris-8] "Over 640 die in Libya unrest". News AU. Agence France-Presse. 24 February 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2011.

[9] "Libya Protests: Benghazi Learns To Govern Itself". Huffington Post. Benghazi. Associated Press. 24 February 2011. Retrieved 8 January 2012.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]