Second Battle of Zawiya The Second Battle of Zawiya was a battle in the Libyan Civil War between rebel anti - Gaddafi forces and forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi for control of the Tripolitanian city of Zawiya . Background . Zawiya rose against Gaddafi on 24 February , and formed an important strategic obstacle to loyalists . Strong loyalist efforts were made to recover the city , and after withstanding two to three weeks of assault by two mechanized brigades ( the Khamis and Hosban ) , the city fell on 10 March . This victory allowed loyalist forces to reconquer other rebel - held cities on the western Tripolitanian coast , including Zuwara . Rebel forces made an attempt to regain the city in mid - June , but this attempt was unsuccessful . Holding Zawiya was a priority for the pro - Gaddafi forces , as the city lies on their coastal supply route and is a vital control city on the route from Tripoli to Tunisia . It also is home to an important oil refinery , the only one in loyalist hands prior to the battle . The Battle . The Associated Press reported that among the rebel forces advancing on the city , a leading contingent were rebels from Zawiya who had fled to the mountains . The bulk of the opposition force advanced to a bridge on the southwestern outskirts before being hit by loyalist artillery fire . One group of rebels got through loyalist defensive lines in the western sector of the town , overrunning it , and pushed into the city center . At the same time , upon the entrance of the rebels into the streets of the city , they were cheered by some residents who came out of their homes to greet them , shouting " God is great " . Some joined the rebels as fighters . A rebel spokesman asserted that the pro - Gaddafi forces ' areas of control had been reduced to a couple of pockets , and that the rebels in the mountains could send supplies and reinforcements to Zawiya at any time since the road was open . After the rebels reached the main square , loyalist forces from the eastern part of Zawiya counter - attacked with a barrage of heavy weapons . NATO conducted airstrikes in support of rebel forces . One strike hit a rebel tank in a friendly fire incident , killing four . By the evening , the Libyan government stated that a rebel force entered the city on a suicide mission but failed to take control of the town and that Zawiya was totally under government control . A rebel commander stated that opposition forces were almost a kilometer south of the city center , on the western side of the main road , while loyalist troops were on the east side . A Reuters reporter stated that gunfire could be heard on the outskirts of the city . Reports were contradictory regarding the situation in the city . A Reuters reporter stated that the rebels held the city center with no signs of ongoing heavy fighting , though occasional gunfire could be heard . An Al Jazeera reporter stated that there was still ongoing fighting within the city , and the city center had not yet been taken . Opposition forces claimed to control 70 percent of Zawiya , but loyalist snipers and sleeper cells remained in the city , and the rebels had not yet been able to clear them . The bulk of the pro - Gaddafi forces were reported to have retreated east towards Tripoli , though it was not immediately clear whether or not this was a strategic withdrawal . Rebels also feared a potential loyalist counteroffensive in the near future . Rebel forces captured several abandoned weapons , including ammunition , anti aircraft guns and anti tank artillery . On 14 August , in the afternoon , an Al Jazeera reporter said that fighting was still ongoing and that the rebels had not taken the center of the city . A rebel commander told the AFP that they controlled the western and southern gate of Zawiya while government forces were controlling the east and the center of the town . He stated that they managed to push 3 km inside the city but were suffering high casualties due to fire from snipers , without giving a number . At 16 : 15 , an Al Jazeera field reporter said that the rebels had taken control of a key highway running through Zawiya , the one that links Tunisia to Tripoli . Ongoing fighting was occurring in the southern Surnam district where loyalist forces had been shelling rebels with artillery from inside the city . A NATO spokesman said : “ Nothing is certain yet and there is no confirmation about who has control of Zawiya because the situation changes every day . ” On 15 August , loyalist forces pushed back the rebels from the city center in a concentrated effort to block the rebel advance . 15 people were killed in an artillery strike , including a woman and a child . By the evening , the rebels claimed to hold 80 percent of Zawiya . They arrested 15 people they said were Africa n mercenaries and Libyan Army soldiers , though at least one alleged mercenary claimed he was an innocent Nigerian guest worker . Some fighters said they expected it would take some time to clear all the snipers from tall buildings inside the city . Some shelling continued , though rebel soldiers said fighting was getting closer to the loyalist - held oil facility . A rebel fighter CNN described as " a source who has proven reliable in the past " said Gaddafi - loyal forces in Janzour , a Tripoli suburb just east of Zawiya , were pelting the city with Grad rockets , killing two , but NATO airstrikes had hit artillery positions in Janzour and the barrage had slowed . On 16 August , a NATO spokesman said that rebels held the city center , but there were " reports of fighting also in the suburbs " . Al Jazeera stated that the city center in Zawiya had been captured the day before . Loyalists were also still holding the refinery . Doctors who had escaped a hospital in eastern Zawiya held by Gaddafi ' s forces said their hospital was being used for military purposes , with snipers positioned on the roof and anti - aircraft artillery set up just outside the entrance . They said doctors and nurses had been held hostage and forced to operate continuously on wounded loyalist soldiers since the start of the battle . On 17 August , rebel forces attempted to take control of the oil refinery from Gaddafi forces . They claimed to have shut down all oil pipelines to the capital . During the battle for the refinery complex , at least 100 Gaddafi loyalists , mostly Chadian mercenaries according to the rebels , were left defending the refinery after refusing to surrender despite being besieged . At least 200 rebel fighters were involved in the assault on the oil refinery . The rebels managed to capture the refinery ' s entrance gate area , but were unable to take the refinery thus far due to intense sniper fire from loyalist forces within the refinery . Al Jazeera had also confirmed from a rebel commander that the city center was still under loyalist control , refuting earlier NATO claims that the opposition had taken the center . The main loyalist sniper base was in the hotel at the main square . The oil refinery , according to rebels , fell into their hands sometime in the night , although small pockets of resistance from snipers remained inside the complex . On 18 August , a Reuters reporter on the scene , as well as the BBC and Sky News confirmed that the refinery had been taken . It was announced that the Zawiya refinery would begin production again within days , this time for rebel forces . The rebel soldiers also gave their account of the refinery battle , saying that after performing a five - hour rear guard action , 100 - 150 loyalist soldiers had retreated via the sea using boats , at least one of which was targeted by a NATO warplane and subsequently sunk . NATO described the boat ' s actions as " repositioning " and " progressing towards another location [ where ] we believe they were going [ sic ] to make attacks on " civilians " . " On 19 August , rebel forces were able to take Martyrs ' Square in central Zawiya , also capturing the hospital where a number of loyalist troops were based . However , pro - Gaddafi forces soon launched an intense counterattack with rockets , mortars and anti - aircraft guns . By 20 August , rebels had taken full control of the city including the eastern parts , which was confirmed by journalists who were taken to former loyalists positions . Journalists said that fighting was still ongoing to the east of the city though and loyalist shelling of Zawiya continued . Al Jazeera stated that fighting was still ongoing at the 27km Bridge east of the city ( the 27km bridge is named as such because it is exactly 27km from Tripoli ) . NATO strikes . According to NATO ' s daily " Operational Media Updates " , the NATO strikes , during the offensive , hit :