Sirte (also spelled Sirt, Surt, Sert or Syrte, pronounced /ˈsɜrt/; Arabic: سرت, pronunciation (help·info); from Ancient Greek: Σύρτις) is a city in Libya. It is on the south coast of the Gulf of Sidra (ancient Syrtis Major, from which Sirte's name derives). Sirte lies halfway between Tripoli and Benghazi. The settlement was established in the early 20th century by the Italians, at the site of a 19th-century fortress built by the Ottomans. It gr...
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Sirte (also spelled Sirt, Surt, Sert or Syrte, pronounced /ˈsɜrt/; Arabic: سرت, pronunciation (help·info); from Ancient Greek: Σύρτις) is a city in Libya. It is on the south coast of the Gulf of Sidra (ancient Syrtis Major, from which Sirte's name derives). Sirte lies halfway between Tripoli and Benghazi. The settlement was established in the early 20th century by the Italians, at the site of a 19th-century fortress built by the Ottomans. It grew into a city after World War II. Sirte was briefly the capital of Gaddafi-controlled Libya after the capture of Tripoli during the final days of the Libyan civil war.
As the birthplace of Muammar Gaddafi, Sirte was favoured by the Gaddafi government. The city was the final major stronghold of Gaddafi loyalists in the Libyan civil war and Gaddafi was killed there by rebel forces on 20 October 2011. During the battle Sirte was left almost completely in ruins, with many buildings totally destroyed or damaged. Six months after the civil war,...
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