The Second Battle of Brega was a battle during the

Libyan Civil War Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. The ...

. More than 10 days earlier, anti-Gaddafi forces beat back an attempt by loyalist forces to take the town on 2 March 2011, in the First Battle of Brega. Following that battle, rebel forces advanced along the

Libyan Coastal Highway The Libyan Coastal Highway ( ar, الطريق الساحلي الليبي), formerly the Litoranea Balbo, is a highway that is the only major road that runs along the entire east-west length of the Libyan Mediterranean coastline. It is a section ...

, taking the towns of

Ra's Lanuf Ras Lanuf ( ( ar, راس لانوف , also: ''Ra’s al-Unūf'' )) is a Mediterranean town in northern Libya, on the Gulf of Sidra. The town is also home to the Ra's Lanuf Refinery, completed in 1984, with a crude oil refining capacity of . The oil ...

and

Bin Jawad Bin Jawad ( ar, بن جواد '), also known as ''Bin Jawwād'', ''Bin Quwad'' is a town with estimated 8,488 inhabitants in the Sirte District in Libya. It is approximately halfway between Benghazi and Misrata. The nearest settlements are Nofa ...

. However, after the

Battle of Bin Jawad The Battle of Bin Jawad was a battle in the Libyan Civil War between forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and anti-Gaddafi forces for control of the town of Bin Jawad. Battle On 5 March 2011, following the Battle of Ra's Lanuf, rebel ...

and the

Battle of Ra's Lanuf The Battle of Ras Lanuf was a two-phase battle in 2011 during the Libyan Civil War between forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and those loyal to the National Transitional Council. Both forces sought control of the town of Ras Lanuf. T ...

, government troops retook all of the territory lost and were once again threatening Brega by mid-March.

The battle

On 13 March, regime's forces, advancing from Ra's Lanuf, succeeded in retaking Brega, though that night reports indicated that fighting was still ongoing and rebels possibly still controlled portions of the town. Reportedly, the rebels re-entered the town and heavy fighting ensued, after which government troops retreated to Brega's airport. However, just an hour later, it was stated that loyalist forces had pushed back rebel troops from the town to aj-Ojela, 20 kilometers east of Brega. By the morning of 14 March, rebel forces were holding the residential district and loyalist forces were holding the oil facilities. On 15 March, rebel forces had abandoned Brega and were in full retreat towards Ajdabiya. Ajdabiya itself came under ground attack just a few hours later, marking the beginning of the

Battle of Ajdabiya The Battle of Ajdabiya was an armed battle in and near the city of Ajdabiya that took place as part of the Libyan Civil War. It was fought between anti-government rebels and military forces loyal to the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Following th ...

Aftermath

On 26 March, after loyalists lost Ajdabiya and retreated further down the coast, rebel forces recaptured Brega. A few days later, loyalist troops returned again, recapturing the city after a prolonged battle with rebel forces.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brega Battles of the First Libyan Civil War Conflicts in 2011 Battles involving Libya March 2011 events in Africa