Fourth Battle of Benghazi

Overview

The Battle of Benghazi (2014–2017) was a major battle of the Second Libyan Civil War that raged from October 2014 to December 2017, between the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in Libya, and the Libyan National Army (LNA), and paramilitaries supporting the LNA in the city. The battle was a direct consequence of the failed Benina Airport Offensive by the Benghazi Revolutionaries and their allies, which allowed LNA forces to regroup and attack deep into Benghazi.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Fourth Battle of Benghazi marked the conclusion of a protracted urban struggle that had consumed the city from October 2014 through December 2017. The engagement was a direct outgrowth of the failed Benina Airport Offensive by the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, which had allowed Libyan National Army forces under Khalifa Haftar to regroup and push deep into Benghazi. Over the course of the multi-year contest, the LNA sustained approximately 5,000 casualties while fielding a force of roughly 25,000 against a Shura Council contingent of around 2,000. The battle pitted the LNA and affiliated paramilitaries against the Shura Council, the Islamic State in Libya, and their allies, making Benghazi a focal point of the broader factional conflict defining the Second Libyan Civil War. Bringing the city under LNA control represented a significant consolidation of Haftar's eastern Libyan position and removed a major armed opposition presence from Libya's second-largest urban center.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)