page_title: Timeline of the 2011 Libyan Civil War
section_title: Stalemate in the east, rebel progress in the west
hierarchical_section_title: Timeline of the 2011 Libyan Civil War / Conflict and military operations / Stalemate in the east, rebel progress in the west
caption_attribution_description: English: HMS Brocklesby photographed at Portsmouth, UK, on 25 October 2008.
context_page_description: The timeline of the First Libyan Civil War begins on 15 February 2011 and ends on 20 October 2011. It begins with a series of peaceful protests, similar to others of the Arab Spring, later becoming a full-scale civil war between the forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi's government and the anti-Gaddafi forces. The conflict can roughly be divided into two periods before and after external military intervention authorized by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.
context_section_description: Rebels attempted a counter-attack to retake Brega. For eight days, loyalists and rebels battled for Brega. In the end, Gaddafi's forces repelled numerous rebel attacks on the city and managed to force the rebels out of Brega by 7 April, despite continued NATO strikes. During the battles, a NATO airstrike accidentally hit rebel forces, destroying 3 tanks, damaging 5, and killing 27 rebels. NATO claimed that it did not know the rebels were using tanks. During the battle, 46–49 rebels and 28 loyalists were killed. Rebel forces retreated, fleeing in several different directions. The rebels regrouped in Ajdabiya. Following the rebel retreat, government troops consolidated their control over Brega and prepared to advance on Ajdabiya. On 9 April, rebel forces attacked Brega, but only managed to reach the University before being forced back by intense shelling by Gaddafi's forces. The Libyan government claimed that its forces had shot down two rebel helicopters near the eastern oil facilities in Brega. The rebels confirmed that they had sent two helicopters into combat, and journalists claimed to have seen at least one helicopter apparently fighting for the rebels in action.
  Following the failed attack on Brega, Gaddafi's forces shelled Ajdabiya and invaded the city from the north, west and south and managed to reach the heart of the town by the following afternoon. They were later forced back by a rebel counterattack that came after rebel reinforcements arrived. Gaddafi's forces managed to retain control of the western part of the city. During the night, street battles took place along the city's main street, and in the southern part of Ajdabiya. On 10 April, Gaddafi's forces managed to push closer the city center, although they continued to be hit by NATO air attacks. The following day, rebels managed to completely push Gaddafi's forces out of the city, but fighting continued west of Ajdabiya. The front line then stagnated outside of the city, 40 km (25 mi) down the road to Brega. There were exchanges of artillery and mortar fire throughout the following days. On 15 April, a rebel column tried to advance on Brega from Ajdabiya following a rocket barrage, but were stopped when Gaddafi forces carried out a hit-and-run attack 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) outside Brega, killing one rebel and wounding two.
  Street battles broke out in Misrata in mid-April with Gaddafi's forces repeatedly shelling the city. Rebels claimed that Gaddafi's forces were using cluster bombs in their attacks. Human Rights Watch confirmed that cluster munitions were used, claiming that its researchers inspected remnants and interviewed witnesses. The Libyan government denied that it was employing cluster bombs. Migrant workers trapped in Misrata began protesting their conditions, demanding repatriation from the city, which led to several cases of rebels opening fire on them, causing deaths. By 22 April, rebels managed to drive Gaddafi's forces from several locations near the city center with NATO air support. The Deputy Foreign Minister of Libya subsequently pledged that the Libyan Army would withdraw from Misrata. On 23 April, Gaddafi's forces withdrew from Misrata, but continued to shell the city. On 26 April, a Gaddafi force attempted to retake Misrata, but was stopped by a NATO airstrike.
  Gaddafi's troops launched an artillery bombardment against rebel-held areas in the Jabal al Gharbi district in the Nafusa Mountains, leaving 110 rebels and civilians dead.
  On 21 April, a convoy of nine loyalist vehicles attacked the rebel-held al-Boster oil facility in the eastern Libyan desert, southwest of Tobruk, deep inside rebel-held territory. Eight of the nine rebels stationed there were killed, while the remaining rebel escaped wounded. The facility was damaged during the attack. Loyalists set a tire on fire to burn the remains of a senior rebel guard. Rebel spokesman Ahmed Bani said that the attack was carried out to disrupt oil sales by rebels.
  On 24 April, Gaddafi's forces shelled the border crossing at Wazzin, and fired Grad rockets into Zintan, causing casualties.
caption: HMS Brocklesby, the Hunt-class minehunter of the Royal Navy that destroyed a pro-Gaddafi sea mine outside the port of Misrata
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