(Main article: Western Desert Campaign) The Siege of Giarabub (now Jaghbub) in Libya, was an engagement between Commonwealth and Italian forces, in the Western Desert during World War II. In the aftermath of Operazione E, the invasion of Libya by the Italian 10th Army (9–16 September 1940), Operation Compass (9–16 December) by the Western Desert Force (WDF), the Battle of Sidi Barrani and the pursuit of the 10th Army into Cyrenaica (16 December 1940 – 9 February 1941), the fortified Italian position at the Al Jaghbub Oasis was besieged by parts of the 6th Australian Division.