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Nafusa Mountains campaign
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Nafusa Mountains campaign
The Nafusa Mountains campaign was a series of battles in the Libyan Civil War, fought between loyalist pro-Gaddafi forces and rebel anti-Gaddafi forces in the Nafusa Mountains and, at a later period, in the surrounding plains of western Libya. The mountain range is of strategic importance due to its close proximity to Tripoli, the Libyan capital. Along with the city of Misrata, the Nafusa Mountains region was one of the major rebel strongholds in the Tripolitania region of the country.
The Nafusa mountains are heavily populated by ethnic Berbers, a group which suffered intense persecution under Gaddafi's rule. Gaddafi imposed bans on the teaching of the Berber language and on the use of traditional Berber names. In a leaked 2008 diplomatic cable, Gaddafi warned Berber leaders "You can call yourselves whatever you want inside your homes – Berbers, Children of Satan, whatever – but you are only Libyans when you leave your homes."
One of the first cities to stage protests against Gaddafi's rule in February 2011, was the town of Zintan. Zintan was home to several former Libyan military officers who participated in the failed 1993 Libyan coup attempt; the city is thought to have high anti-Gaddafi sentiment.
Very soon, the protests spread to the whole country and by the end of February most of the towns in the Nafusa Mountains were under opposition control.
On 1 March, loyalist forces started offensive operations south of Tripoli with the aim of retaking territory lost in previous days to the rebels. Their first target was the city of Gharyan.
Gharyan was seen as a strategic town, because it was the largest in the Nafusa Mountains, a direct gateway to the Jabal al Gharbi District from Tripoli and was part of the defence ring loyalist forces were establishing around the capital.
During the night between the 1 and 2 March, loyalist forces came into the town, under the cover of darkness. On the morning of 2 March, the rebels realised that the town was overrun by government troops. Soldiers had a list of opposition members and started to round up all of the rebels in Gharyan. Gharyan had been retaken by the government, on the same day as the nearby city of Sabratha, located west of Tripoli.
As news of the retaking of Gharyan spread, the rebels found out that Gaddafi's forces were preparing an assault to retake Zintan, the first town in western Libya to throw off his rule. Around 40 trucks and armoured vehicles fitted with anti-aircraft guns were spotted 30 kilometers away heading to the city. Young people in Zintan took the fight to pro-Gaddafi forces, launching a series of "preventative attacks" on army barracks, checkpoints and other installations to gather weapons and equipment. At sunset, the city had been attacked three times and all repelled.
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Nafusa Mountains campaign
The Nafusa Mountains campaign was a series of battles in the Libyan Civil War, fought between loyalist pro-Gaddafi forces and rebel anti-Gaddafi forces in the Nafusa Mountains and, at a later period, in the surrounding plains of western Libya. The mountain range is of strategic importance due to its close proximity to Tripoli, the Libyan capital. Along with the city of Misrata, the Nafusa Mountains region was one of the major rebel strongholds in the Tripolitania region of the country.
The Nafusa mountains are heavily populated by ethnic Berbers, a group which suffered intense persecution under Gaddafi's rule. Gaddafi imposed bans on the teaching of the Berber language and on the use of traditional Berber names. In a leaked 2008 diplomatic cable, Gaddafi warned Berber leaders "You can call yourselves whatever you want inside your homes – Berbers, Children of Satan, whatever – but you are only Libyans when you leave your homes."
One of the first cities to stage protests against Gaddafi's rule in February 2011, was the town of Zintan. Zintan was home to several former Libyan military officers who participated in the failed 1993 Libyan coup attempt; the city is thought to have high anti-Gaddafi sentiment.
Very soon, the protests spread to the whole country and by the end of February most of the towns in the Nafusa Mountains were under opposition control.
On 1 March, loyalist forces started offensive operations south of Tripoli with the aim of retaking territory lost in previous days to the rebels. Their first target was the city of Gharyan.
Gharyan was seen as a strategic town, because it was the largest in the Nafusa Mountains, a direct gateway to the Jabal al Gharbi District from Tripoli and was part of the defence ring loyalist forces were establishing around the capital.
During the night between the 1 and 2 March, loyalist forces came into the town, under the cover of darkness. On the morning of 2 March, the rebels realised that the town was overrun by government troops. Soldiers had a list of opposition members and started to round up all of the rebels in Gharyan. Gharyan had been retaken by the government, on the same day as the nearby city of Sabratha, located west of Tripoli.
As news of the retaking of Gharyan spread, the rebels found out that Gaddafi's forces were preparing an assault to retake Zintan, the first town in western Libya to throw off his rule. Around 40 trucks and armoured vehicles fitted with anti-aircraft guns were spotted 30 kilometers away heading to the city. Young people in Zintan took the fight to pro-Gaddafi forces, launching a series of "preventative attacks" on army barracks, checkpoints and other installations to gather weapons and equipment. At sunset, the city had been attacked three times and all repelled.