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Wars of
Libya (1800-Present)



 



Map of Libya



 Map
   of Libya
   
   
Videos
   of American Military Intervention in Second Libyan Civil War (vs.
   ISIS)

   
   
 

   
   
The History of Libya actually goes back to
   Biblical times and to the days of the Romans. Modern Libya has
   only been a nation since indpendence in the years after World War
   Two. Below are the more recent wars and conflicts in Libyan
   history (1800 to the present).

   
   
First Barbary
   War (1801-1805)--Also known in the
   West as the Tripolitanian
   War, this was a war between Tripoli and the United States. From
   this conflict, the United States Marine Corps Hymn uses the phrase
   "From the Shores of Tripoli..."

   
   
The
   Italo-Turkish War of
   1911-1912--Italy
   conquers Libya in a war against the Turks.

   
   
World War Two
   (1940-1943 in Libya)--Although
   Libya was occupied by Fascist Italy during World War Two, Libya
   was a battleground between the Italians and Germans on one side,
   and the British, Americans, and other Allies on the other side.
   Most of the fighting took place along Libya's Meditterranean
   coast.

   
   
Libyan Incursion into the
   Aouzou Strip (1954)-King Idris sent the
   Libyan military into northern Chad to claim ownership of this
   region. French colonial forces (Chad was still a French colony)
   repulsed them.

   
   
Khaddafi Coup
   d'etat (Sept. 1, 1969)--The coup led by
   Colonel Muammar Khaddafi ended the monarchy, and began 42 years of
   rule by Khaddafi. NOTE: the warlord leading one faction in the
   2019 version of the Libyan wars is General Khalifa Haftar. As a
   junior officer, Hafter participated in the coup that brought
   Khaddafi to power.

   
   
1973 Arab-Israeli War
   (1973)-Libya sent a small military force to
   aid the Egyptians in the 1973 war.

   
   
Military Coup Attempt
   (1975)-Failed attempt to overthrow
   Khaddafi.

   
   
Libyan-Egyptian
   War
   (1977)--A
   brief four-day border war between Libya and Egypt.

   
   
Libyan Intervention in
   Uganda-Tanzania War
   (1978-1979)-Khadaffi was allied to the
   Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin Dada. Amin made the mistake of
   attacking his much larger neighbor, Tanzania, who then proceeded
   to not only kick Ugandan troops from their soil, but then invaded
   Uganda themselves. Libya sent troops to help the Ugandan Army
   fight the Tanzanians, but Amin ended up having to flee. Libya had
   backed the losing side.

   
   
Libyan invasion of Chad
   (occupation of Aouzou Strip) (1979)-In
   an ongoing border dispute, Libya sent troops to occupy the region
   of Chad called the Aouzou Strip.

   
   
Tobruk Army Revolt
   (1980)-Failed rebellion against
   Khaddafi.

   
   
First Gulf of Sidra Incident
   (August 19, 1981)-Clash between U.S.
   warplanes and the Libyan military over the Gulf of
   Sidra.

   
   
Libyan invasion of Chad
   (1981)

   
   
Libyan/French Conflict in
   Chad (1983-1984)-Part of the long
   Chad-Libya Conflict, France intervened to help Chad repel a Libyan
   invasion. The French military refer to this as Operation
   Manta.

   
   
Anti-Khaddafi Attack
   (May, 1984)-Commandos
   of the National Front for the Salvation of
   Libya (NFSL) attacked Khaddafi's compound in Tripoli, in an
   attempt to kill him. The attack failed, causing about 80
   casualties. 

   
   
U.S. Air raid against
   Tripoli and Benghazi (1986)-In response
   to a terrorist attack on Americans in Berlin, the United States
   retaliated against Libya with airstrikes directed at the Khaddafi
   regime. The U.S. operation was called Operation El Dorado
   Canyon.

   
   
Toyota War
   (1986-1987)-The last part of the the
   long Chad-Libya Conflict. Chadian forces (using Toyota trucks and
   a lot of other weapons supplied by the U.S. and France), wipe out
   large parts of the Libyan Army in northern Chad.

   
   
Second Gulf of Sidra
   Incident (January 4, 1989)--Second
   clash between U.S. warplanes and the Libyan military over the Gulf
   of Sidra.

   
   
Anti-Khaddafi Revolt
   (1996) -Military revolt
   in eastern Libya, led by Khalifa Hifter. The revolt
   failed.

   
   
 

   
   
Libyan War
   2011
   (2011)-February
   15, 2011--Protests against the Libyan government began,
   leading to an open revolt agains Khaddafi's rule. As the rebels
   grew stronger and gained more territory, the revolt became a civil
   war. NATO intervened on the side of the rebels in March, 2011,
   which helped the rebels take Tripoli. Khadaffi was killed in the
   war. Also, General Khalifa
   Haftar had returned
   from his exile in America and was a leading officer on the rebel
   side.

   
   
Foreign
   Intervention Began: March 19, 2011

   
   
Libyan
      Revolution Timeline
      
      
 

      
      
 

   
   
Second Libyan Civil
   War (2014-Present)-The
   Government of National Accord (GNA) battles against various
   factions and militias, including the Islamic State. The U.S. and
   allied nations joined the war officially in August, 2016 to fight
   ISIS in the city of Sirte. 

   
   
The Western Offensive of 2019 began in April,
   2019 as the forces of General Khalifa Haftar seized parts of
   southeastern Libya and then began an offensive ot take control of
   Tripoli from the GNA government. The GNA is supported by the
   United Nations, but Haftar's side is aided by Egypt, France, the
   UAE, and, to a certain extent, by Russia.



 



Sources:
   
   
1. Kohn, George
   C. Dictionary
   of Wars.
    New York: Facts On File Publications. 1999.

   
   
2. Dupuy, R. Ernest and
   Trevor N. Dupey. The
   Harper Encyclopedia of Military History: From 3500 B.C. to the
   Present
   New York, New York: Harper & Row. 1993.

   
   
3. World's
   Largest Sandbox-New
   York Times. 11.07.2011

   
   

   
   

   
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