First Battle of Benghazi

First Battle of Benghazi
Part of Libyan Civil War
A downtown Benghazi government revolutionary committee office after it was torched by demonstrators.
Date 15–20 February 2011 Location Benghazi, Bayda, Derna, Libya Result Decisive Anti-Gaddafi victory Beginning of the Libyan Civil War Benghazi becomes a core of the Anti-Gaddafi forces
Belligerents
Anti-Gaddafi forces Defected army units Armed protesters	Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Commanders and leaders
Abdul Fatah Younis (last day)	Al-Saadi Gaddafi
Strength
10,000	Khamis Brigade Fadheel Brigade Tariq Brigade 325 mercenaries
Casualties and losses
Benghazi: 110–257 killed 9 missing Bayda: 63 killed Derna: 29 killed Rebel soldiers: 130 killed Total: 332–479 killed 9 missing 3 T-54/55 tanks or IFVs destroyed	163 killed 236 captured 3 T-54/55 tanks or IFVs destroyed

The First Battle of Benghazi was fought between army units and militiamen loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and anti-Gaddafi forces in February 2011 during the Libyan Civil War. The battle mainly took place in Benghazi, the second-largest city in Libya, with related clashes occurring in the nearby Cyrenaican cities of Bayda and Derna. In Benghazi itself most of the fighting occurred during a siege of the government-controlled Katiba compound.