The Battle of Sirte during the Second Libyan Civil War started in the spring of 2016, in the Sirte District of Libya, between the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the loyalist forces of the Government of National Accord (GNA) backed by the United States. ISIL forces had captured Sirte one year earlier, during the previous battle. The conflict for Sirte was described as ISIL's "last stand" in Libya.
The latter portion of this battle was concurrent with the Battle of Mosul against ISIL in Iraq, with the Raqqa campaign by the Syrian Democratic Forces on ISIL's de facto capital in Syria, and with the Battle of al-Bab in northern Syria.
The offensive
GNA advance on Sirte, initial gains, and stalemate
The offensive on Sirte launched on 12 May 2016, under the name "Al-Bunyan Al-Marsoos", variously translated as "Impenetrable Wall" or "Solid Foundation". Fighting took place east of Assdada, around 80 km (50 miles) south of Misrata. On 16 May, GNA military forces recaptured Abu Grein from ISIL militants. The next day, the GNA took control over the al-Wishkah district, 25 km from Abu Grein. and eventually reached nearly 50 kilometers from Sirte.
On 19 May, an ISIL suicide bomber attacked GNA forces, 90 kilometers west of Sirte, killing 30 soldiers and wounding 50. In late May, pro-GNA military forces seized many locations near the city of Sirte from ISIL, including the Sirte power station, and advanced on the town of Jarif to the south of Sirte. Also in late May, the eastern front of Sirte saw action. The Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG) captured the towns of Bin Jawad and Noufiliyah from ISIL.
On 4 June, GNA forces captured the Ghardabiya Air Base, 10–20 kilometers south of Sirte's center. However, ISIL recaptured the air base the following day.
On 8 June, GNA fighters entered Sirte for the first time after capturing a bridge on the city's western outskirts. The next day, fighting was concentrated near the Ouagadougou conference hall, where ISIL held religious instruction sessions, and GNA forces managed to surround the hall. Meanwhile, some ISIL fighters started retreating from Sirte, while PFG forces advanced within 70 kilometers to the east of Sirte and reached the town of Harawa.
On 10 June, the GNA captured two barracks, a bridge and an intersection in Sirte. In addition, the Libyan Navy secured Sirte's coast and blocked potential escape routes for ISIL via the sea. The following day, street fighting continued to rage in Sirte and heavy clashes took place around the Ouagadougou complex, with GNA forces hitting with artillery fire ISIL positions around the conference centre. On 12 June, GNA forces secured both Sirte's port, airport and a residential area in the east of the city, while fighting was continuing two kilometers from the conference hall. ISIL fighters in the city retreated into a densely built-up area, with snipers taking up positions against the advancing GNA forces. ISIL also started using waves of suicide-bombers to stall approaching GNA forces. Three ISIL suicide car-bombers targeted a field hospital in the west of Sirte, as well as two positions of GNA fighters, including at the Abu Hadi roundabout in the southeast of the city.
On 13 June, the GNA advance in Sirte slowed as they reached the residential areas near the city center. ISIL fighters were holed up in the central and northern part of Sirte and a GNA counter-attack against ISIL positions at the town's main western entrance, after the suicide bombings the previous day, was repelled. On 16 June, a suicide attack at a police station in Abu Grain, at a crossroad between Sirte and Misrata, killed 10 soldiers and wounded 7. Also, a six-man GNA scouting team in Sirte was killed and their bodies paraded by ISIL. On 21 June, GNA forces secured areas in the "700" neighbourhood, south of the city center, and gained ground to the west of the center of Sirte in the heavily damaged District No. 2. Other gains included: the Ben Hamal Mosque, the electricity headquarters and the radio station. During the advance, the GNA positioned themselves within a kilometer from the conference centre. Meanwhile, GNA fighters withdrew from the port, although they still controlled the port road, due to heavy ISIL sniper fire from a nearby hotel. Some 400 to 500 ISIL fighters were operating in the port area. During the advances, GNA fighters suffered heavy casualties with 39 being killed and another 140 wounded. Another report put the number of GNA dead at more than 40.
On 1 July, ISIL fighters were driven out of the "100" and "700" neighbourhoods and GNA forces had surrounded the conference hall. ISIL fighters were also still holed up at a nearby hospital, with snipers and landmines slowing the GNA's progress. The next day, the GNA captured the city center, or at least part of it, as well as the harbor. By 7 July, Mirghani Badawi al-Bashir, nicknamed "Abu-al-Harith", was killed by a drone strike. A leading local ISIL commander and a prominent Sudanese preacher, Mirghani's death was regarded as heavy blow to ISIL by experts.
On 9 July, a mass grave was discovered by GNA forces on a farm on the southern edge of Sirte. The next day, an ISIL ammunition store was hit in the city center by ground fire, while more air-strikes hit other ISIL positions. In turn, ISIL fired Grad missiles at GNA positions in the first, second and third residential districts and the university campus.
On 15 July, heavy clashes erupted around the conference centre leaving 21 GNA soldiers dead and 139 wounded. During the fighting, three ISIL suicide car-bombers, including a Libyan and an Egyptian, hit GNA forces in an unsuccessful counter-attack. GNA fighters managed to enter the conference complex, but had not been able to capture it. Some 10 days later, the GNA captured the largest ISIL bomb factory in Sirte, a hotel in the eastern part of the city, part of the "Dollar" neighbourhood, and the security headquarters.
Operation Odyssey Lightning
On 1 August 2016, the Pentagon announced the U.S. military effort to support the Libyan government against ISIL would be code-named Operation Odyssey Lightning.
On 1 August, at the request of the GNA, the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps Harriers and helicopters launched from USS Wasp (LHD-1) and USS San Antonio, began to bomb Sirte, targeting ISIL tanks and vehicles in support of the GNA forces. The attacks put further pressure on the estimated 1,000 ISIL fighters who remained in the city center. The strikes hit two T-72 tanks, a fighting position and two construction vehicles. The next day, an ISIL rocket launcher and a heavy equipment excavator were also hit. During these airstrikes, another Sudanese ISIL commander, Qusai al-Jaili, was reportedly killed, though other sources said he had died of illness or wounds. Al-Jaili had achieved prominence by masterminding the escape of four assassins of U.S. diplomat John Granville from Kober Prison in Khartoum in 2009. By 4 August, "Dollar" was secured. On 7 August, GNA troops showed a small former ISIL training camp with an assault course, along with fox holes, that was taken by GNA forces.
On 8 August, the GNA seized an area of guest houses close to the Ouagadougou conference centre. Two days later, GNA forces took control of the Ouagadougou centre, Sirte's Ibn Sina hospital and the university campus. During the fighting, a GNA fighter jet was shot down over Sirte with both pilots missing. By 11 August, 70 percent of Sirte was under GNA control. At this point, the GNA started launching incursions into neighbourhoods 1 and 3, two of the districts that were still IS-held. The following day, bombardment commenced of neighbourhoods 1 and 2. Meanwhile, it was confirmed the GNA also took control of the Amina Hotel, the police academy building and the Al-Giza military zone.
"Macmadas"
On 12 August, the GNA announced the beginning of the final battle, dubbed Macmadas, to completely capture Sirte. On the next day, the city's radio station and the "Indian" buildings were captured by the GNA as they advanced into neighbourhood 2. During the fighting, there was an attempted ISIL suicide bomb attack against the advancing forces. Three days later, pro-GNA militias captured the neighbourhood 2 district and started advancing into neighbourhood 1. During the fighting for neighbourhood 2, ISIL fighters launched nine suicide bombings that killed 9 GNA fighters and wounded 82. Following the capture of this area, only neighbourhoods 1 and 3 remained IS-held.
On 18 August, ISIL fighters from outside the city attacked GNA fighters at a rallying area and a checkpoint, killing at least 10 GNA fighters and wounding 20. Another attack by three IS suicide-bombers was prevented and the attackers killed. Between 21 and 22 August, pro-GNA militias captured the Ribat mosque, the city's biggest and main mosque, as well as the internal security building that was used as an IS prison, a courthouse, the Al-Naga district and Dubai Street.
During their advances, the GNA discovered a major horde of gold, money and weapons inside the IS security headquarters. In one room, there were boxes of gold, jewelry, wads of Tunisian currency, rifles and shotguns, computers, radios and cartons of telephone cards. On 25 August, GNA's spokesman for the operation Mohamed al-Ghasry stated that ISIL had withdrawn from most of the neighbourhood 3 into a small part of the neighbourhood as well as the northern half of neighbourhood 1.
On 28 August, the GNA suffered heavy casualties in fighting while advancing into neighbourhood 1 and 3. Five car bombs were deployed by the militants in the battle though at least one was destroyed before it could reach its target. Hospitals in Sirte reported that 35 GNA fighters died and 150 more were wounded. U.S. and Libyan warplanes bombarded ISIL-held neighbourhoods in Sirte overnight. The Cordoba mosque which ISIL had renamed to Abu Musab Zarqawi mosque was captured on the same day along with other areas of neighbourhood 3. GNA militias announced the next day that they had completely captured neighbourhood 1 with ISIL still controlling half of neighbourhood 3. 10 GNA fighters were killed during the clashes while 12 were wounded.
On 3 September, pro-GNA militias launched an offensive on the last-ISIL held areas of Sirte and stated they had captured several buildings including two banks and a hotel. An attempted suicide bombing by ISIL was also thwarted by the militias. 7–10 pro-GNA fighters were reported to be killed, while 30–60 were wounded in the clashes. On 5 September, the media wing of Al-Bunyan Al-Marsous reported that it had captured ISIL pockets in the Jizah neighbourhood including a Wihda Bank branch. On 6 September, the pro-GNA forces captured the buildings of the civil court and the savings bank in neighbourhood 3 in addition to an ammunition stockpile belonging to the militants containing mines, explosives and warheads.
New stalemate
On 8 September, pro-GNA forces stated that ISIL was using civilians as human shields which was delaying the advancement of pro-GNA fighters. Some days later, they also pointed out that the slipping away of some militants as pro-GNA militias advanced was behind the delay. There were concerns that all of them hadn't been cleared behind the lines as some militants had carried out attacks on pro-GNA troops behind them. On 14 September, four foreigners and two Libyans were freed from ISIL's prisons in Sirte. The foreigners included two North Koreans and two Indians. Meanwhile, AFRICOM carried out airstrikes against ISIL, hitting six positions of the group and a car bomb. By 16 September, 15 people including nine Libyans, three Koreans, two Indians and a Palestinian had been freed.