The Battle of Tripoli (Arabic: ﻣﻌﺮﻛﺔ ﻃﺮﺍﺑﻠﺲ ma'arakat Ṭarābulis), sometimes referred to as the Fall of Tripoli (Arabic: سقوط طرابلس suqūt Ṭarābulis), was a military confrontation in Tripoli, Libya, between loyalists of Muammar Gaddafi, the longtime leader of Libya, and the National Transitional Council, which was attempting to overthrow Gaddafi and take control of the capital. The battle began on 20 August 2011, six months after the First Libyan Civil War started, with an uprising within the city; rebel forces outside the city planned an offensive to link up with elements within Tripoli, and eventually take control of the nation's capital.
The rebels codenamed the assault "Operation Mermaid Dawn"(Arabic: ﻋﻤﻠﻴﺔ ﻓﺠﺮ ﻋﺮﻭﺳﺔ ﺍﻟﺒﺤﺮ ʻamaliyyat fajr ʻarūsat el-baḥr). Tripoli's nickname is "The Mermaid" (Arabic: ﻋﺮﻭﺳﺔ ﺍﻟﺒﺤﺮ ʻarūsat el-baḥr) (literally "bride of the sea").
Background
Opposition in Tripoli
Tripoli was the scene of major clashes and a failed uprising in February 2011. Protesters filled Green Square (since renamed Martyrs' Square by the former rebels), and set fire to the People's Hall of the General People's Congress. Fighting was especially fierce in the city's eastern Tajura district, but loyalist forces were able to crush the uprising, with many casualties on both sides. Loyalists shut down the internet thus cutting access to social networks structuring the opposition, while the extensive design of Tripoli did not allow protests to reach critical mass. The opposition was largely weakened, with supporters being unable to connect anonymously and fearing repression, so active members set up meetings to restructure the local opposition. Several loyalists organizing the crackdown were actually double agents, informing rebels of governmental moves and future arrest attempts. Further attempts at protests took place over the next few months with little success. Residents stated that a nighttime guerrilla war was taking place in the streets of Tripoli, as armed rebels reportedly started to control many of the smaller streets in rebel-sympathising districts.
Timeline of the battle
19 August
The combined assault on Tripoli was reportedly organised by rebels when it became clear that there would be no successful spontaneous uprising in the capital. According to rebel sources, weapons were smuggled by tugboat into Tripoli during the evening.
20 August
Rebel forces within Zawiya fought for control of a strategic bridge on the road to Tripoli, 27 kilometres (17 miles) from the capital. They planned for a major offensive on Tripoli that would take place on the following day.
Uprising within Tripoli
At just after 8 pm, the uprising within Tripoli began when a group of rebels took over the Ben Nabi Mosque, and began calling the signal of Iftar (إفطار) – the moment Muslims observing Ramadan break their evening fast. Prominent opposition members confirmed that the rebels had been shipping weapons into Tripoli for several weeks, in preparation for this uprising. The centre of the uprising was said to be Ben Nabi Mosque in the city centre, when young men gathered there; prayers were cancelled and women sent home, while the men began shouting anti-Gaddafi slogans, using the loudspeakers to broadcast their chants across the city. Loyalist forces arrived and attempted to assault the mosque, but were driven back by armed residents, taking refuge in the state TV centre nearby. Tripoli residents barricaded their streets and districts with burning tires, joining up with other anti-government opponents. The uprisings quickly spread through Tripoli, notably the neighbourhoods of Fashloum, Souq al Jum'aa, Tajura and Ben Ashur, and continued throughout the rest of the city. That night, heavy fighting was reported in the neighbourhoods of Suq al Jum'a, Arrada street and 20th of Ramdan street (formerly known as 11 June Street), while anti-Gaddafi locals closed off the major Alsika street.
During the night, rebels reportedly captured the Tripoli International Airport, as well as a weapons depot inside the capital. Tripoli residents received text messages from the government, asking them to go out onto the street and "eliminate the armed agents". Heavy fighting within the capital was confirmed by reporters within the city, who heard explosions and sustained gunfire.
Initially, a governmental spokesman stated that all was safe and well within the city and that loyalist forces remained in control of Tripoli. Later, he stated that "armed militants" had "escaped into some neighbourhoods", causing "a few scuffles", but the governmental forces "dealt with it within a half-hour, and it is now calm."
A group of students of the Fateh University who were sympathetic to the rebellion rose up against the armed guards that patrolled the perimeter and the snipers in the taller buildings and seized control of the university during the night.
21 August
Rebel forces began advancing east from Zawiya towards Tripoli; they took the town of Joudaim, east of Zawiya, meeting only light resistance from loyalist forces. Next, the town of Al Maya just west of Tripoli was taken. Just outside Tripoli, the headquarters of the elite Khamis Brigade was captured by the rebels, who faced only light resistance.
Boats from Misrata and Zliten carrying rebel forces and arms landed in Tripoli in the early morning, joining rebels within the city in the fight. Following the rebel amphibious landing, they advanced towards the Mitiga airbase.
Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera both reported that the uprising continued as of the early morning; many rebels were reported dead in the district of Qadah, while the Mitiga International Airport was reportedly surrounded by rebel forces, who attempted to obtain its surrender. The entire Tajura district was captured by rebel forces, while fighting in Suk al-Juma, Araba district and Mitiga International Airport continued. A rebel representative stated that the operation was "going easily", with the end target being Gaddafi's Bab al-Azizia compound.
A resident speaking to Al Jazeera from Tajura in Tripoli said about 450 prisoners in poor health were freed from a military base after locals took control of the area and pushed out Gaddafi forces, who were shelling the neighbourhood.
By the afternoon, resident rebels had fully taken control of Tajura, Suq al-Jumaa, Arada, and al-Sabaa neighbourhoods in Tripoli. Fighting was still ongoing in the Ben Ashhour, Fashloom, and Zawiyat al-Dahmani neighbourhoods in Tripoli; the rebels also controlled large portions of the Fashloom, Zawiyat al-Dahmani, and Mansura districts. They also took control of a Tripoli mobile-telephone company.
Rebel forces advancing from Zawiya entered the Janzur suburb of Tripoli during the evening, seemingly facing no resistance as they passed through the western suburbs headed for the city centre, greeted by cheering crowds waving the rebels tricolour flag.
Shortly after taking Janzur, rebels from the Tripoli Brigade took control of the Gheryan bridge, considered the western entrance to Tripoli proper, and entered the Syhia district and began clearing it. They took Hay al Andalus area shortly after and immediately advanced into the Gergraish area of Central Tripoli.
In a night-time press conference, governmental spokesman Moussa Ibrahim stated that there were an estimated 1,300 killed and 5,000 wounded in the Battle for Tripoli; he blamed the death toll on NATO.
Civilians were reportedly celebrating in Tripoli's streets as rebel forces entered the city with little resistance. A senior rebel official, Fathi al-Baja, told the Associated Press that one of the reasons for his group's rapid advance was that Mohammed Eshkal, the head of Mohammed Megrayef Brigade which was assigned to defend the city, was sympathetic to the rebels since the regime had killed his cousin years earlier, such that when rebels reached the gates of Tripoli, the battalion promptly surrendered, allowing the rebels to sweep into the capital with relative ease, facing little resistance.
Reported capture of two of Gaddafi's sons
On 21 August, the NTC chairman claimed that Saif al-Islam Gaddafi had been captured and the UK representative of the NTC repeated the claim to the satisfaction of the International Criminal Court which stated that they would be contacting the NTC to make arrangements for him to be handed over, so that he may face trial for crimes against humanity. However, early on 23 August, Saif al-Islam appeared to be quite obviously not in rebel custody as he appeared at the Rixos Al Nasr hotel where several foreign journalists were located and offered to give reporters a tour of loyalist-controlled areas.
Al Jazeera also reported in its video that Muhammad Gaddafi, Muammar Gaddafi's oldest son, had handed himself over to rebel forces. Later, it was reported that he had not voluntarily surrendered himself, and one rebel was killed while capturing him. Al Jazeera confirmed the capture and interviewed Muhammad; he took an apologetic tone and blamed what caused the revolution as a lack of wisdom. However, it was reported later that Muhammad escaped from house arrest the next day with the aid of loyalist forces.
When the Libyana telephone company building was taken by the Tripoli Brigade, they sent out the following text message to the people of Tripoli :
God is Great, We congratulate the people of Libya on the fall of the Gaddafi regime.
22 August
By 1 am Tripoli time, rebels stated that 90% of Tripoli had been captured, including Green Square in central Tripoli. Al Jazeera and the BBC News, among other news stations, all reported and confirmed that opposition fighters had entered Green Square.
In the morning, Agence France-Presse reported that fighting was ongoing near Gaddafi's compound and in the south of the city. A rebel commander said the loyalists still controlled 15 to 20% of the city. Initially one, then multiple tanks left the Gaddafi residence and began shelling areas of Tripoli. Heavy fighting continued around the Rixos Al Nasr hotel, which housed foreign journalists in Tripoli and remained a government stronghold. Journalists were not allowed to leave the hotel by government forces and were described as being used as a "human shield".
A column of hundreds of armed rebels carrying rocket launchers was reported heading towards Green Square.
An independent Libyan news channel reported some looting at the expatriate Palm City village, just outside Tripoli, but this could not be confirmed. Fighting continued around the Gaddafi compound and near the port, with loyalists using tanks to defend the area.
Libyan state television channels went off air by the afternoon, and rebels were in control of the state TV building.
The situation in Tripoli was confused, but loyalist forces were definitively known to remain in control of Bab al-Azizia, the Rixos Al Nasr hotel, a hospital in Tajura, and part of the port. The situation at the Mitiga International Airport was unclear, though many news organizations reported that rebels had taken it.
During the afternoon, rebels pulled back from an area near Green Square, in what they claim was a plan to launch a coordinated offensive elsewhere. Rebel forces in Tajura said they were negotiating with loyalist forces, holed up in the local hospital, to surrender.
In the evening, rebel forces who were fighting in the western part of Tripoli were pushed back. Also, reports surfaced that Muhammad Gaddafi managed to escape house arrest with the help of loyalist fighters.
In the night of 22 August, a rebel said he expected a hard fight for Gaddafi's compound, confirmed Muhammad Gaddafi's escape and said that rebels were establishing checkpoints at the entrances of Tripoli.
Misrata's local military council said they sent several ships "with a large number of fighters and ammunition on board" as reinforcements to Tripoli.
Status of Gaddafi family
The location of Muammar Gaddafi was unclear on 22 August; it was thought that he could still be staying in Tripoli, surrounded by the remaining forces in his Bab al-Azizia compound, but this was yet to be determined. Another report had him in the Tajura cardiac hospital. Al Jazeera reported that Muammar Gaddafi allegedly had successfully resisted an attempt to arrest him at the hospital.
Mutassim Gaddafi was allegedly remaining in the Bab al-Azizia compound directing the remaining defences, while Khamis Gaddafi (who had earlier been rumored killed in an airstrike at Zliten) was reported to be leading loyalist tank forces in a counterattack against central Tripoli, in an attempt to relieve the siege of Bab al-Azizia.
Al Arabiya reported that a third Gaddafi son, Al-Saadi Gaddafi, had been captured by the rebels, citing the head of the NTC. He had been reported captured as well the previous day, so it was unclear when and where the capture took place.