On 27 March 2011, rebels returned to Bin Jawad and recaptured the town. However, by 29 March, pro-Gaddafi forces had halted the rebels advance and forced them to flee the town. The rebels briefly returned and a battle broke out for the town. By the end of the day, after a series of artillery duels, the rebels retreated from the town in hundreds of vehicles, some of them as far as Ra's Lanuf.