The Second Battle of Brega was a battle during the 2011 Libyan civil war

2011 Libyan civil war

The 2011 Libyan civil war was an armed conflict in the North African state of Libya, fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and those seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Benghazi beginning on 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security...

. 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

First Battle of Brega

The First Battle of Brega was a battle during the 2011 Libyan civil war. It began when pro-Gaddafi government troops attacked the city, held by the National Transitional Council, in the early hours of 2 March 2011.- The Battle :...

. Following that battle, rebel forces advanced along the Libyan Coastal Highway, taking the towns of Ra's Lanuf

Ra's Lanuf

Ra's Lanuf 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 refinery is operated by the Ra's Lanuf Oil & Gas Processing Company, a subsidiary of the state-owned...

 and Bin Jawad

Bin Jawad

Bin Jawad , also known as Bin Jawwād, Bin Quwad is a town with estimated 8,488 inhabitants in the Sirte District in Libya. It is approximately half way between Benghazi and Misrata...

. However, after the Battle of Bin Jawad

Battle of Bin Jawad

The Battle of Bin Jawad was a battle in the 2011 Libyan civil war between forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and the Libyan opposition for control of the town of Bin Jawad.- The Battle :...

 and the Battle of Ra's Lanuf

Battle of Ra's Lanuf

The Battle of Ra's Lanuf was a two-phase battle between forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and those loyal to the National Transitional Council for control of the town of Ra's Lanuf. It followed the First Battle of Brega which occurred two days before in the town Brega, roughly to the...

, 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

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 2011 Libyan civil war. It was fought between anti-government rebels and military forces loyal to the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi...

.

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

Third Battle of Brega

The Third Battle of Brega was a battle during the 2011 Libyan civil war between forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and anti-Gaddafi forces for control of the town of Brega and its surroundings.- Background :...

with rebel forces.