Battle of Misrata

The Battle of Misrata was a bloody three-month long battle that took place in Misrata.

Misrata Airport and Air Base fighting
On 24 February, Gaddafi loyalists armed with rocket-propelled grenades and mortars fired at a group of opposition fighters guarding the airport. During the fighting, the airport's defenders seized a ZPU-4 anti-aircraft gun used by the militias and turned it against them. When the battle started, officers from an air force school near the airport mutinied and helped the opposition attack an adjacent military air base where Gaddafi's troops were stationed. The officers then disabled fighter jets at the base to prevent them from being used against the uprising.

On the evening of the 25th, Gaddafi's forces, supported by tanks, succeeded in retaking part of the military air base. Fighting at the base continued until after midnight, leaving 22 dead. At least one loyalist tank was destroyed during the two days of fighting at the airport.

On 28 February, it was reported that opposition forces shot down a government helicopter which was attacking the rebel-held radio station. The crew of the helicopter was captured by rebel forces. Also, there was a new attempt by government troops to advance at the air base but it was repelled by the opposition. No casualties occurred during the fighting, except that, eight loyalist soldiers were captured.

On 3 March, two Libyan Red Crescent medics were wounded by loyalist fire while trying to retrieve the body of a man killed near a government base three days earlier. By this point, it was reported that the rebels were running low on food and ammunition. Also, government troops had succeeded in securing the air base and the military air academy on the outskirts of Misrata.