2011 military intervention in Libya

On 19 March 2011, a multi-state NATO-led military intervention in Libya began in response to events during the First Libyan Civil War.

American and British naval forces fired over 110 Tomahawk cruise missiles, and imposed a naval blockade. The French Air Force, British Royal Air Force, and Royal Canadian Air Force forced sorties across Libya.

The intervention did not have any foreign soldiers.

The Libyan government was unable to fight this off as they were unable to shoot down a single NATO plane.

Countries involved with the intervention at first were Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Norway, Qatar, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States.

Fighting in Libya ended in late October after the killing of Muammar Gaddafi, and NATO said it would end operations over Libya on 31 October 2011. Libya's new government requested that its mission be extended to the end of the year, but on 27 October, the Security Council voted to end NATO's mandate for military action on 31 October.

It is reported that over the eight months, NATO members carried out 7,000 bombing sorties targeting Gaddafi's forces.

## Infobox (military conflict)

- **image**:

- **caption**: **Top**: The no-fly zone over Libya as well as bases and warships which were involved in the intervention
 **Bottom**: Coloured in blue are the states that were involved in implementing the no-fly zone over Libya (coloured in green)
- **conflict**: 2011 military intervention in Libya
- **partof**: the First Libyan Civil War
- **date**: 19 March 2011 – 31 October 2011
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- **place**: Libya
- **result**: NATO Coalition/Anti-Gaddafi forces, Anti-Gaddafi victory
* Overthrow of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya.
* Killing of Muammar Gaddafi by Anti-Gaddafi forces
* Tensions between Libyan factions following the fall of Gaddafi lead to Second Libyan Civil War, renewed civil war in 2014
* Start and continuation of the Libyan Crisis (2011–present), Libyan Crisis
- **combatant1**: *
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 Libyan oppositon
- **combatant2**: * Armed Forces of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Armed Forces
* Pro-Gaddafi militias
* Mercenaries (alleged)
- **commander1**: **Opération Harmattan:**
 **Nicolas Sarkozy**
 Alain Juppé
 Édouard Guillaud
**Operation Ellamy:**
 **David Cameron**
 Liam Fox
 David Richards (British Army officer), David Richards
**Operation Mobile:**
 **Stephen Harper**
 Peter MacKay
 André Deschamps (RCAF officer), André Deschamps
**Operation Odyssey Dawn:**
 **Barack Obama**
 Hillary Clinton
 Robert Gates
 Carter Ham
 **Silvio Berlusconi**
 Ignazio La Russa
 Claudio Graziano
**Operation Unified Protector:**
 Anders Fogh Rasmussen
 James G. Stavridis
 Charles Bouchard
 Ralph Jodice
 Rinaldo Veri
- **commander2**: **Muammar Gaddafi**
 Saif al-Islam Gaddafi

Khamis Gaddafi
 Al-Saadi Gaddafi
 Abu-Bakr Yunis Jabr
 Ali Sharif al-Rifi
- **strength1**: 260 aircraft
21 ships
- **strength2**: 200 medium/heavy Surface-to-air missile, SAM launchers
220 light SAM launchers
600 anti-aircraft guns
- **casualties1**: None
 None
 1 United States Navy, USN Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire Scout, MQ-8 shot down
 3 Dutch Naval Aviators captured (later released)
 1 Royal Netherlands Navy Westland Lynx, Lynx captured
 1 United States Air Force, USAF McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, F-15E crashed (Mechanical failure)
 1 United Arab Emirates Air Force, UAEAF General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-16 damaged upon landing
- **casualties2**: 5,900 military targets including
* 600 tanks or armored vehicles
* 400 artillery or rocket launchers
 Unknown number of soldiers killed or wounded (NATO claim)
- **casualties3**: 72+ civilians killed (according to Human Rights Watch)
40 civilians killed in Tripoli (Vatican claim)
223–403 likely civilian deaths (per Airwars)
- **notes**: The US military claimed it had no knowledge of civilian casualties.