Clashes broke out in the

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...

n capital of

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis may refer to: Cities and other geographic units Greece *Tripoli, Greece, the capital of Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in ...

on 14 October 2011 when a group of

Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, . Due to the lack of standardization of transcribing written and regionally pronounced Arabic, Gaddafi's name has been romanized in various ways. A 1986 column by ''The Straight Dope'' lists 32 spellin ...

loyalists rose up against the

National Transitional Council The National Transitional Council of Libya ( ar, المجلس الوطني الإنتقالي '), sometimes known as the Transitional National Council, was the ''de facto'' government of Libya for a period during and after the Libyan Civil War ...

, leading to a firefight in the city's Abu Salim district as well as smaller clashes elsewhere in the city.

Background

, the Libyan capital, fell to rebel forces in late August 2011. The rebel forces were mostly met well by the local populace who seemed glad to be rid of Gaddafi, though it was clear that not all of the citizens of Tripoli supported the NTC. This was the first and so far only action by loyalists in the city since it came under the control of anti-regime forces. It was the third conflict to erupt in Tripoli since the outbreak of the

Libyan Civil War Demographics of Libya is the demography of Libya, specifically covering population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, and religious affiliations, as well as other aspects of the Libyan population. The ...

, the first being the February 2011 Tripoli clashes, the second being the aforementioned battle for control of the city.

Battle

The clashes were reported to have started when a group of roughly 80 of Gaddafi's loyalists raised the ousted leader's

green flag Green Flag or Green Flag Rescue, is a British roadside assistance and vehicle recovery provider, which is part of the Direct Line Group. Formed in 1971, as the National Breakdown Recovery Club, as an alternative to the AA and RAC, it used ...

, even going as far as to raise the flag over a street, enraging opposition forces, which led to an exchange of fire. It was unclear who fired first but the situation quickly escalated. After the loyalist protesters dissipated, NTC forces searched the area, many of them discovering weapons caches. Soon after that, loyalist snipers opened fire, causing a large-scale gun battle between them and NTC forces. NTC fighters came in armed pickup trucks and began firing at the loyalists. There were reportedly shots fired by heavy machine guns on both sides. In the confusion, about 30 NTC fighters were hit by friendly fire. Two Gaddafi loyalists and one NTC fighter were confirmed dead in the fighting. After that, the uprising was quickly quelled with several of the loyalists killed or captured. The conflict was mostly confined to the Abu Salim district, which is known to be home to loyalists, although small clashes happened in other parts of the city, none of which resulted in any serious casualties.

Aftermath

Once the clashes were brought under control, the council set up roadblocks in and around the city, as well as trying to root out loyalists remaining in the city. NTC forces also made their presence known by randomly firing their weapons in the air from time to time.

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Battles of the First Libyan Civil War History of Tripoli 21st century in Tripoli October 2011 events in Africa