Siege of Bani Walid ( 2012 ) The Siege of Bani Walid was a military conflict in Libya . History . Bani Walid is an oasis town in western Libya which has a historic rivalry with the city of Misrata . During the civil war in 2011 , Bani Walid remained a bastion of support for the government of Muammar Gaddafi until the very end of the war , while Misrata was one of the first towns to rise up , emerging victorious from a months - long siege . After the end of the war , a number of Misratan militias made efforts to capture those people whom they believed were linked to the previous government . After a string of abuses , local fighters in Bani Walid retook control of their town and expelled the new government from the city . The brigade was then involved in revenge kidnappings with Misrata during the majority of 2012 . In July , while they were holding two Misratan journalists , fighters in Bani Walid captured and toutured Misratan militiaman Omran Shaaban , one of the original captors of Gaddafi at the end of the battle of Sirte . He died later of his wounds . In response , the Libyan Congress authorized the use of force against Bani Walid to capture those responsible for the deaths , setting a deadline of 5 October for the town to peacefully comply . The local government of Bani Walid rejected the decision , stating that no true judiciary system existed in Libya . Following this event , the armed forces of the new government and allied independent militias mounted a siege on the city . Fighting . At the end of September , the Libyan Shield brigade from the Libyan government and Misrata militias cut the roads leading to Bani Walid , preventing civilian supplies from entering the city . Amnesty International protested against the siege of the city . On 2 October , clashes erupted between the pro - government militias from Misrata and local militiamen in Bani Walid . One person was killed and 5 - 10 were wounded . On 10 October , violent clashes erupted between Bani Walid militias and Misrata militias in the valley of Mardum , 10 km east of Bani Walid . One Bani Walid fighter was killed and two others injured , while the overall death toll was put at 10 killed . 5 - 10 civilians died due to shelling by the Misrata militias while some supplies were successfully delivered to the city . On 17 October , Bani Walid was shelled once again as ground clashes raged . Five government militiamen were killed and 44 wounded in the fighting , while seven Bani Walid residents died in the shelling and 75 were wounded . On 18 October , around 2 , 000 Libyan National Army units and its aligned militias , mainly from city of Misrata , started , after failed negotiations between the government and the local council , full - scale attack on Bani Walid . Army spokesman claimed that army moved quickly and secured town airport and was closing to city centre . This was denied by residents of the town who claimed that the airport was still under local militias control and that the army had not entered the town . Meanwhile , the chief of staff , Yussef al - Mangush said that the army will be sent to the city and will take over to impose security . He added that he hoped that the army would be able to enter the city peacefully . On 19 October , the Misrata militias and the Libyan army had pulled back , and the president of the transitional congress imposed a 48 - hour ceasefire , condemning the " unauthorized assault " of the Misrata and government forces . Eight government soldiers and militiamen were killed in the fighting , while 12 people from Bani Walid , fighters and residents . A Libyan officer told that the ceasefire was to allow civilians to leave the city , but locals said that they won ' t leave their city . Their closest position to Bani Walid was some 25 miles from the town itself , a point captured during the offensive between 16 and 18 October . Despite claims from Margarief that the resolution needed to be peaceful , the Libyan Army and its allied militia was preparing another assault , moving heavy weapons and ammunition to the battlefield . The shelling on the city and its outskirts continued and the ceasefire was ignored , with five residents , including a child , killed and 40 houses destroyed by the rockets fired by the militias . The shelling was concentrated on the Valley of Mardoum . The military commander of Bani Walid stated that his forces were still in full control of the city . Libyan Shields forces and Misrata militias stated that their offensive had been sanctioned by the government , while a military official denied it , adding to the confusion . The talks between Bani Walid and pro Misrata government forces for a negotiated solution collapsed . On 20 October , Misrata militias launched another assault against Bani Walid , trying to push into the city center . At least nine Misrata soldiers were killed and 122 others were injured . The death toll was later updated to 22 Misrata soldiers killed and more than 200 wounded , while Bani Walid casualties numbered to four killed , including a young girl and 23 injured . Some civilians were leaving Bani Walid because of the random shelling killing civilians and the lack of food and drink . Militiamen said that they had a list of wanted people inside Bani Walid and that there were in addition hundreds more gunmen defending the city . On 21 October , the shelling from Misrata militias on the city resumed with smoke flying over some parts of the city , Abdelkarim Ghomaid , a Bani Walid commander reported . He added that they had captured 16 armed cars from Misrata militias . The fighting on the ground resumed as well for a fifth day after Misrata and government forces regrouped after the bloody losses suffered the previous day . A resident told that clashes happened on the outskirts of the city , but that they were less intense than the previous day . A Misrata militiamen said that the fighters in Bani Walid were well armed and that fighting continued at the Wadi Dinar , gates , 30 miles away from the city centre and that they traded fire from two hilltops . He added that the battle was going to take some time . In Tripoli , around 500 protesters invaded the grounds of the Libyan parliament to protest against the attacks on Bani Walid . On 22 October , more clashes near the town left another two pro - government fighters dead . On 23 October Colonel Ali al - Shekhili claimed that the Army has control of the airport , hospital and other important places . Airport takeover , together the military occupationation of Mordum , Shmeagh and Tniena districts on the outskirts was confirmed by one of the refugees who fled the city . The Colonel said that the Army met little resistance and said that they are shelling the city . A local said that the Army is entering the city with bulldozers demolishing houses . On 24 October , pro - government fighters mostly from Libya Shield brigade , militia under command of the Ministry of Defence , took control of centre of the city . Army and militia units still faced resistance in certain parts of the town . The defenders had retreated from the city to the valleyrs around . On 25 October , Mummar Gaddafi loyalists hold out in last stand at Bani Walid , just to be scattered by the next day when pro - government forces freely roamed the city . Aftermath . On 30 October , Libyan Minister of Defence Osama al - Juwail came into conflict with army chief - of - staff Yousef Mangoush over the control of the army over the oasis town . While Mangoush claimed that military operations have ceased and town is under its control , the defence minister stated that militia outside the army ' s command , not the army itself , are in control of Bani Walid . This was not the first time when Mangoush and Juwail have disagreed , with minister being strongly in favour of greater ministry , rather than military , control over the army . Refugees were also reportedly not allowed to return to their homes , and journalists were forbidden to enterto the city by soldiers and militiamen manning the checkpoints on the outskirts of the city , despite army promises of right of return . On 1 November , an AFP reporter was able to enter the town and reported heavy damage from the fighting . The residential area near the university , several buildings in the Gweida district and several public buildings were destroyed by fire , which was blamed by a local medic on militias from both Bani Walid and Misrata , as well as with common criminals . The correspondent also witnessed three separate incidents of thefts by Misratan militiamen . The town still remained largely empty , with only a few police and army patrols in the centre . On 16 December , fresh fighting breaks out in Bani Walid . Members of the security forces clashed with armed men in the central Dahra area of Bani Walid today , leaving three members of the armed force dead and a number of other security personnel injured . AFP - Armed men killed four policemen and two soldiers Sunday in separate attacks in Libya , including one in a former bastion of Moamer Kadhafi ' s regime that was toppled last year , security officials said . On October 5 , 2013 Gunmen killed at least 12 Libyan soldiers in an attack on a checkpoint near the city of Bani Walid , a former stronghold of supporters of Muammar Gadhafi , security officials said on Saturday . The ambush happened on the road between Bani Walid and the town of Tarhouna , where the army had a checkpoint . They came under heavy gunfire . Between 12 and 15 soldiers were killed , " said Ali Sheikhi , a spokesman for the army joint chief of staff .