First Battle of Brega The First Battle of Brega was fought during the Libyan Civil War . It began when pro - Gaddafi government troops attacked the city , held by the National Transitional Council , in the early hours of 2 March 2011 . The Battle . In the early hours of 2 March , well - armed government pro - Gaddafi forces arrived at Brega in over 100 vehicles . They succeeded in wresting control of the oil refinery , port , terminal and industry airport , as well as the town university . Coming within 2 - 3 kilometers ( 1 - 2 mi ) from the town center , pro - Gaddafi forces managed to pin down rebel forces . According to a number of news sources , rebels were rushed to mobilization and hid in the sand for camouflage . Most were volunteers from the rebel - controlled cities of Ajdabiya and Benghazi . As the attack was underway , Libyan Air Force pilots loyal to Gaddafi bombed a munitions depot at Ajdabiya . However , after a few hours , rebel reinforcements from Ajdabiya arrived in Brega and pushed back pro - Gaddafi fighters to the university campus where they came under siege . Moving along the coast , rebel fighters charged over the sand dunes on the beach up the hill to the university building , while under constant mortar fire . At one moment , a warplane attacked the dunes in an attempt to disperse the rebels , but it caused no casualties , and the siege continued . According to the rebels , the pro - Gaddafi forces at the university used civilians as human shields . Government troops eventually withdrew from the university and out of the city some to the west . A senior rebel officer stated pro - Gaddafi troops might have run out of ammunition and as such were forced to withdraw . It was reported that women and children were dragged out of their cars on the Tripoli - Benghazi road by the pro - Gaddafi forces and used as human shields . The government force retreated to Ra ' s Lanuf , about 120 km west of Brega , after the battle . Aftermath . At least 14 people were initially reported killed in the fighting , although some estimates were as low as five dead . Reporters who came in from the Benghazi area saw four dead , two of which were apparently pro - Gaddafi fighters . At least 14 opposition fighters were later reported killed and 28 others wounded . Eight of those killed were former oil workers . The rebels claimed that they had killed 10 loyalist soldiers and captured several others . The assault on the Brega oil port was the first major regime counter - offensive against the opposition - held eastern half of Libya , where the population , backed by mutinous army units , rose up and drove out Gaddafi ' s rule during the first few days of the uprising . The offensive came while Gaddafi warned opposition forces that he would fight " until the last man and woman " . Following the battle , celebrations were held by rebel fighters and residents in Brega and Ajdabiya . According to BBC correspondent John Simpson , the rebels were " very proud " and the general feeling in Brega was that Gaddafi ' s troops " do not necessarily have their hearts in the job . " On 3 March , pro - Gaddafi jets bombed the area between the oil refinery and the residential zone in Brega , rebels also reported an air raid against positions in Ajdabiya . Analysts believe the Battle of Brega indicates that either side may prove unable to definitely defeat the other . On 4 March , anti - Gaddafi fighters launched an attack against Ra ' s Lanuf . On 6 March the rebel advance was stopped in the battle of Bin Jawad and government forces recaptured Ra ' s Lanuf on 10 March . Anti - Gaddafi fighters were reported to have been advising civilians to leave the area around Brega in expectation of a second battle . The Second Battle of Brega was fought on 13 March and by the morning of 14 March , rebel forces were holding the residential district and loyalist forces were holding the oil facilities . The next day , the town fell to the loyalists .