On March the 5th 2011, Gaddafi forces launched an air and naval bombardment on the city of Zawiya, resulting in the death and the injury of civilians. The rebels fought back and killed some Gaddafi soldiers and also African mercenaries.

According to Sayed Tawfik, Facebook post, said that “there was an air and sea bombardment in Libya on civilian targets in the city of Zawia and eyewitnesses from the field confirmed the destruction of tanks and that mercenaries soldiers were killed on this incident.”

@alalikhalid reported that “thirty people were killed, most of them civilians, in the fight in the Libyan city of Zawiya.”

According to Aljazeera, “a spokesman for the rebels in the city of Zawiya said that the Gaddafi Brigades launched a new attack and cordoned off the city from all sides, cut off phone calls, and violently bombed it from land and air for the second day in a row.

Journalist Ali Al-Mazdawi told Al-Jazeera that the outcome of the battles in Al-Zawiyah was 16 martyrs and 30 wounded.

CMS Aawsat reported that in the city of Zawya, “witnesses said the sound of artillery shelling and military helicopters shook the city, in an attempt by the forces of Gaddafi led by his son Khamis to control the city. The sources said all services were cut off from the city, the most important of which are medical services, water, electricity and telephones. The indiscriminate bombing left dozens of dead and wounded, causing unprecedented damage to the city’s history. The sources said leaders of the rebels «February 17» that there are bodies in the streets can not be reached, and that there are dozens of wounded who are killed by the forces of Gaddafi.”

Many buildings were set on fire in several buildings, including government buildings and a mosque. According to an eyewitness as a doctor at the medical centre “The Qaddafi forces attacked the medical centre, seized ambulances and killed three wounded people in the operating room.”

It was also added in CMS Aawsat that “the rebels killed about 37 Gaddafi soldiers, 13 African mercenaries.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.