Battle of Al-Watiya Airbase

Last updated
Battle of Al-Watiya Airbase
Part of Libyan civil war (2014–2020)
Gnacapturebase.png
GNA forces circle Al-Watiya airbase after capturing it
Date8 April 2019-19 May 2020
Location
Result GNA victory
Belligerents

Flag of Libya.svg Coat of arms of Libya Tobruk Government.svg House of Representatives
Supported by:

Flag of Libya.svg The emblem on the passport of Libya.svg Government of National Accord
Supported by:

Commanders and leaders
Flag of Libya.svg Libyan COA used by Haftar.png Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar
(LNA supreme commander)
Flag of Libya.svg The emblem on the passport of Libya.svg Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj
(head of Presidential Council)
Strength
Unknown Unknown

The Battle of Al-Watiya Airbase in 2020 marked a crucial turning point in the Second Libyan Civil War, as Government of National Accord (GNA) forces sought to reclaim control from the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by General Khalifa Haftar.

Contents

Background

In April 2019, General Haftar's forceslaunched an offensive to seize the capital, Tripoli, from the UN-backed Government of National Accord. [1] During this offensive, Air Force planes loyal to the GNA attacked LNA positions, escalating tensions between the opposing factions.

Airstrikes and escalations

On April 8, 2019, a series of airstrikes occurred involving both pro-LNA and pro-GNA air forces. [2] Pro-GNA fighter jets targeted the Al-Watiya air force base, prompting a swift response from pro-LNA MiG-21 fighter jets that successfully bombed the pro-GNA Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli. The exchange of airstrikes demonstrated the intensity of the conflict. [3] [4]

A Mirage F1 incident on April 24, 2019, near Al-Watiya Air Base added further complexity. [5] Initially claimed by pro-LNA sources as a pro-GNA Mirage F-1AD shot down, later analysis suggested it was a Mirage F1-AD with an unclear ownership history. However, analysis by foreign experts revealed it to be actually a Mirage F1-AD serial number 402, and initially suggested it was previously in the possession of the pro-LNA air forces, and that it was shot down by its own pro-LNA anti-air defences. [6] [7]

Siege and counter-attacks

On 19 June 2019, pro-GNA forces claimed that their fighter jets bombed pro-LNA Al Watiya air force base, destroying on the runway a Russian Su-22 fighter bomber just as it was taking off. [8] [9] The conflict continued in April 2020 when GNA forces besieged Al-Watiya Air Base, prompting a counter-attack by LNA forces that captured the town of Al-Aqrabiya. [10] [11]

GNA offensive and capture

On May 5, 2020, the GNA launched a new offensive to capture Al-Watiya airbase, claiming to have successfully encircled the base. [12] [13] GNA forces claimed to have destroyed two enemy Grad Rocket launch vehicles and various ammunition vehicles. [14] The sustained assault culminated in the capture of the airbase on May 18, 2020, marking a significant advancement for forces aligned with Libya's internationally recognized government. [15] GNA forces seized the remains of 2 Mirage F1 and 1 Su-22. [16] [17]

Aftermath and developments

Following the capture, the GNA forces secured a Pantsir-S1 TLAR at the base, transporting it for examination. [18] On July 4, 2020, unidentified "foreign" warplanes targeted Al-Watiya Air Base, with conflicting reports on the extent of damage. The base's subsequent expansion, improvements to the runway, and ongoing air operations underscored its continued strategic importance. [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libyan Air Force</span> Air warfare branch of Libyas armed forces

The Libyan Air Force is the branch of the Libyan Armed Forces responsible for aerial warfare. In 2010, before the Libyan Civil War, the Libyan Air Force personnel strength was estimated at 18,000, with an inventory of 374 combat-capable aircraft operating from 13 military airbases in Libya. Since the 2011 civil war and the ongoing conflict, multiple factions fighting in Libya are in possession of military aircraft. As of 2019 the Libyan Air Force is nominally under the control of the internationally recognised Government of National Accord in Tripoli, though the rival Libyan National Army of Marshal Khalifa Haftar also has a significant air force. In 2021, the air force is under command of the new President of Libya, Mohamed al-Menfi that replaced Fayez al-Sarraj.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libyan Armed Forces</span> Combined military forces of Libya

The Libyan Armed Forces or the Libyan Arab Armed Forces are, in principle, the state organisation responsible for the military defence of Libya, including ground, air and naval forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libyan National Army</span> Armed forces under the control of Khalifa Haftar mostly in the East of Libya

The Libyan National Army or the Libyan Arab Army is a component of Libya's military forces which were nominally a unified national force under the command of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar when he was nominated to the role on 2 March 2015 by the House of Representatives, consisting at the time of a ground force, an air force and a navy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries</span>

The Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries was a military coalition in Benghazi composed of Islamist and jihadist militias, including Ansar al-Sharia, Libya Shield 1, and several other groups.

al-Watiya Air Base also known as Okba Ibn Nafa Air Base is a military airport in the Nuqat al Khams district of western Libya. It was named after Uqba ibn Nafi, the Islamic general who conquered North Africa. It is 27 kilometres (17 mi) east of the Tunisian border and 125 kilometres (78 mi) from Tripoli.

This is a detailed timeline of the Libyan civil war (2014–2020) which lasted from 2014 to 2020.

KORAL is a land-based transportable electronic warfare system developed to jam and deceive hostile radars of enemy nations.

On 18 May 2017, an attack was launched by militia men of the town of Misrata and Benghazi Defense Brigades against the Brak al-Shati Airbase controlled by LNA forces. LNA sources claimed 141 people, including 103 soldiers and numerous civilians were killed as a result of the raid. The base was completely overrun and partially destroyed along with numerous aircraft in the base. Accusations of executions of surrendering forces led to international condemnation of GNA forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Libya offensive</span>

In late January 2019, the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Marshal Khalifa Haftar launched an offensive to take control of the city of Sabha and the rest of southern Libya from the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) and local factions. Officially, the LNA announced that the reason for the operation was to remove terrorists, Chadian rebel groups, and to secure the border, but it has expanded Haftar's territorial control and acquired him oil fields near Sabha. It has also restarted some interethnic conflicts as the LNA has allied with local Arab tribes, while the Tuareg and Toubou tribal militias are loyal to the GNA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Libya campaign</span> Military Campaign in Western Libya

The Western Libya campaign was a military campaign initiated on 4 April 2019 by the Operation Flood of Dignity of the Libyan National Army, which represents the Libyan House of Representatives, to capture the western region of Libya and eventually the capital Tripoli held by the United Nations Security Council-recognised Government of National Accord. The Government of National Accord regained control over all of Tripoli in June 2020 and the LNA forces withdrew from the capital, after fourteen months of fighting.

On 2 July 2019 at 23:30, during the 2019–20 Western Libya campaign, an airstrike hit the Tajoura Detention Center outside Tripoli, Libya, while hundreds of people were inside the facility. The detention center was being used as a holding facility for migrants and refugees trying to reach Europe when a storage hangar that it used as a residential facility was destroyed in an aerial bombing. The United Nations Human Rights Council stated that "It was known that there were 600 people living inside" the facility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkish intervention in Libya (2020–present)</span> Turkish military intervention in Libya

In 2020, Turkey militarily intervened in support of the United Nations-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) of Libya in the 2014–2020 Libyan civil war. Military intervention was approved by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey on 2 January 2020, which passed a one-year mandate to deploy troops to Libya. Turkish military deployments to Libya began on 5 January.

This is the order of battle for the Western Libya campaign, codenamed "Operation Flood of Dignity" by forces under Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar. The forces supporting Haftar and the House of Representatives, mainly the Libyan National Army, are opposed by the armed forces of the forces loyal to the Government of National Accord, including the Libyan Army and the Tripoli Protection Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Libya offensive</span>

The Central Libya offensive, officially known as Operation Paths to Victory, was a military offensive in Libya launched by the forces of the Government of National Accord, to take the city of Sirte and Al Jufra Airbase from the House of Representatives backed by the Libyan National Army. The city of Sirte is considered strategically important because of its close position to oil facilities, which give it control over Libya's oil and gas shipping ports. The Al Jufra Airbase is strategically important for the GNA, due to its central position to Fezzan and denying the Libyan National Army air superiority over Central Libya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Egyptian intervention in Libya (2015–2020)</span>

The Egyptian intervention in Libya has been substantial since the beginning of the civil war. The intervention started after the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) released a video of the beheading of 21 Egyptians on February 12th, 2015. In response, Egypt launched airstrikes on the 16th of February that same year. After that incident, Egypt became increasingly involved with Libya's internal politics.

The Wagner Group, also known as PMC Wagner, a Russian paramilitary organization also described as a private military company (PMC), a network of mercenaries, and a de facto unit of the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD) or Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, has conducted operations in Libya since late 2018.

On 4 July 2020, forces of the Libyan National Army (LNA) launched airstrikes on Al-Watiya Air Base in the desert southwest of Tripoli, destroying Turkish military equipment, including anti-air defences, sent from Turkey to the Government of National Accord (GNA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Volcano of Rage</span>

Operation Volcano of Anger, alternatively known as Operation Volcano of Rage, was a military resistance campaign launched by the Government of National Accord in Libya to counter the advances of the Libyan National Army led by General Khalifa Haftar. The conflict, which began in April 2019, has witnessed intense fighting around the capital city, Tripoli, and other strategic locations in the country. The operation is part of the broader armed conflict in Libya, marked by shifting alliances, foreign involvement, and a struggle for control over the nation's political future.

The Battle of Gharyan, which unfolded from April 2019 to June 2019, was a significant conflict in the ongoing struggle for control in Libya. The opposing forces were the Libyan National Army (LNA), led by General Khalifa Haftar, and the Government of National Accord (GNA), headed by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.

References

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