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Opération Harmattan
2011 French military operation / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Opération Harmattan was the French participation in the 2011 military intervention in Libya.[4] It was named for the Harmattan, which are hot dry winds that blow over the Sahara, mostly between November and March.[5] The United States' counterpart to this was Operation Odyssey Dawn, the Canadian counterpart was Operation Mobile and the British counterpart was Operation Ellamy. The no-fly zone was proposed during the Libyan Civil War to prevent government forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi from carrying out air attacks on anti-Gaddafi forces. Several countries prepared to take immediate military action at a conference in Paris on 19 March 2011.[6]
Opération Harmattan | |||||||
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Part of 2011 military intervention in Libya | |||||||
![]() Remains of three Palmaria heavy howitzers of the Gaddafi forces destroyed by French warplanes at the south-western outskirts of Benghazi on 19 March 2011. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
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Strength | |||||||
See deployed forces | See Libyan Armed Forces | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
None | Multiple tanks, aircraft, artillery units and ground targets destroyed | ||||||
Unknown, unverified claim by Gaddafi-controlled Libyan state media of 48 civilians killed, 150 wounded as a result of all UN operations[2] 40 civilians killed (in Tripoli; Vatican claim)[3] |
French Dassault Rafale multirole fighters began reconnaissance missions on 19 March and were the first among the coalition to attack Libyan forces, destroying four tanks.[7]