The 

Battle of Sirte (also spelled Surt) was the final and most decisive battle of the First Libyan Civil
War, beginning when the National Liberation Army attacked the last remnants of the Libyan army still
loyal to Muammar Gaddafi in his hometown and designated capital of Sirte, on the Gulf of Sidra. As
of September 2011, Sirte and Bani Walid were the last strongholds of Gaddafi loyalists and
the National Transitional Council hoped that the fall of Sirte would bring the war to an end.[28] The
battle and its aftermath marked the final collapse of the four-decade Gaddafi regime.[29] Both Gaddafi
and his son, Mutassim, were wounded and captured, then tortured and killed in custody less than an
hour later. The month-long battle left Sirte almost completely in ruins, with many buildings damaged
or totally destroyed.[30]