page_title: 1986 United States bombing of Libya
section_title: Targets
hierarchical_section_title: 1986 United States bombing of Libya / Targets
caption_attribution_description: A ground crew prepares a 48th Tactical Fighter Wing F-111F aircraft for a retaliatory air strike on Libya. An arming supervisor gives hand signals to the pilot of the aircraft as the crewman under the wing pulls arming pins out of the GBU-10 modular glide bombs. The crewman by the landing gear is checking for foreign objects on the runway that might be sucked into an engine before takeoff. Location: ROYAL AIR FORCE, LAKENHEATH, EAST ANGLIA ENGLAND / GREAT BRITAIN (ENG)
context_page_description: The 1986 United States bombing of Libya, code-named Operation El Dorado Canyon, comprised air strikes by the United States against Libya on Tuesday 15 April 1986. The attack was carried out by the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps via air strikes, in retaliation for the West Berlin discotheque bombing ten days earlier. There were 40 reported Libyan casualties, and one U.S. plane was shot down. One of the claimed Libyan deaths was of a baby girl, reported to be Muammar Gaddafi's daughter, Hana Gaddafi. However, there were doubts as to whether she was really killed, or whether she really even existed.
context_section_description: After several unproductive days of meeting with European and Arab nations, and influenced by an American serviceman's death, Ronald Reagan, on 14 April, ordered an air raid on the following Libyan targets:
  Bab al-Azizia Barracks in Tripoli was Gadhafi's command and control center for overseas operations.
  Murrat Sidi Bilal in Tripoli was a training camp for naval commandos and combat frogmen.
  Mitiga International Airport was used by Ilyushin Il-76 transports.
  Jamahiriyah Guard barracks in Benghazi was an alternate command and control headquarters for overseas operations, and contained a warehouse for storage of MiG components.
  Benina International Airport was used as a base by defending fighters.
caption: Ground crew prepares a 48th Tactical Fighter Wing F-111F aircraft for an air strike on Libya
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