First Battle of Zawiya The First Battle of Zawiya was a battle during the Libyan Civil War between army units and militiamen loyal to Muammar Gaddafi and anti - Gaddafi forces for control of the city of Zawiya . The city quickly fell into rebels hands with soldiers from Libyan Army units defecting . Zawiya was the rebel city which was closest to Tripoli , and it became the main focus of Gaddafi troops . The city was besieged and regularly attacked by loyalists with rebels defending the center of the town . The final assault lasted one week and was led by the Khamis Brigade , the best trained unit of the Libyan army . The rebellion was ultimately crushed in the city and Gaddafi troops took complete control of the town , searching for suspected rebels and erasing any sign of the rebellion . Along with the Battle of Misrata , the First Battle of Zawiya was one of the bloodiest clashes of the Libyan Civil War . The battle began on 24 February , when Libyan troops loyal to Gaddafi attacked a mosque where protesters were holding an anti - government sit - in . The troops opened fire with automatic weapons and hit the minaret with an anti - aircraft gun . After the attack , thousands of people rallied in Green Square by the mosque shouting “ Leave ! Leave ! ” On the same day , anti - Gaddafi forces repelled the attack on the city . The Battle . Rebels take control , initial loyalist counterattacks . On 26 February , government forces opened fire on anti - government protesters and Egyptian migrant worker s . By this point , most of the city was under rebel control — however , security forces controlled surrounding areas and had set up checkpoints on the outskirts . In addition , some government militia and security forces were still present in the city and at least one tank was seen . 24 rebel fighters were killed during the two previous days of fighting . On 28 February , government troops conducted a counter - attack against the city with 200 soldiers coming in from the east , supported by snipers , tanks and artillery . The first attack came just after midnight when loyalist soldiers tried to come through the eastern city gate in pick - up trucks . The attack was repelled . In the early evening , a second attack of three more trucks tried to break through the west gate . Two of the trucks were destroyed . At the same time , six more pick - ups again attacked the eastern gate . Two were captured by rebel forces . During the clashes one government tank was damaged by a rocket propelled grenade . After six hours of fighting , government troops were unable to reclaim the city . 10 soldiers were killed in the street fighting and 12 – 14 were captured , of which eight switched sides and joined the rebels . On the night of 2 March , rebel forces attacked government lines around the city killing two loyalist soldiers . By this point , shortages of food and medical supplies in the city had started as a result of the siege . Continued loyalist gains , Darbouk killed . On 4 March , government troops attacked once again bombarding the rebels with mortars , heavy machine guns , anti - aircraft guns and a prolonged artillery barrage coming from at least eight Grad missile launchers . Troops attacked on both sides of the city . In the initial fighting , the rebel forces commander , colonel Hussein Darbouk , was killed along with three more fighters . Later , the casualty toll was raised to " up to 50 dead " and 300 wounded on that day . Two government soldiers were also killed . In the evening , the rebels were pushed back to the central square in Zawiya , where they were preparing to make a last stand . Government forces claimed to have captured 31 tanks , 19 armored personnel carriers and other weapons including rocket - launchers and anti - aircraft guns that were used by the rebels . By the morning of 5 March , pro - Gaddafi soldiers were reported to have been beaten back from the centre of the city , after overnight fighting , however they still controlled the town ' s entry points . At six in the morning , another assault was underway , which started with a surprise barrage of mortar shells . At 7 a . m . , at least 20 tanks entered the city and heavy street fighting started with loyalists storming residential buildings and reportedly killing people inside to secure the rooftops for snipers . Initially , the rebels retreated to positions deeper in the city and government tanks were seen pouring onto the square . Still , after a few hours , a rebel counteroffensive was launched and loyalist forces were again beaten back from the centre of the city to the city ' s edge by 10 a . m . During these morning battles , thirty - three people were reported killed . Twenty - five of them were rebels and eight were pro - Gaddafi soldiers . Five government armored vehicles were destroyed at the square , among them two or three tanks . At 4 p . m . in the afternoon , a third pro - Gaddafi attack commenced , accompanied by an artillery barrage , but it too was repulsed . During this attack , government troops positioned themselves once again at the square and tank and rocket fire was directed at buildings around it , before retreating . However , the loyalists managed to secure the hospital and , because of this , the rebels moved all of their wounded to a makeshift clinic at a mosque . 10 loyalist soldiers were captured during the fighting and later executed in a hotel at the square . During the night , it was confirmed that government tanks were seen roaming the city . Fighting for central square , intensifying loyalist assaults . On 6 March , a fourth attack in two days was launched against the city centre and it too was repelled . 26 government soldiers and three rebels were reportedly killed and 11 soldiers captured during the latest charge by loyalist troops . On 7 March at 9 a . m . , a fifth attack started and continued well into the afternoon . Government forces had once again managed to take the city ' s central square and also a nearby mosque . By 8 March , most of the city had been left in ruins with tanks firing in all directions . During the night , rebels had once again taken back the square . However , with dawn , the strongest attack yet came with 50 tanks and 120 pick - ups charging towards the city center . During the evening , a force of 60 rebels slipped out of the city in an attempt to attack a military base 20 kilometres from the city . By the next day , they had not returned and their fate was not known . On 9 March , the city was reported to be ninety - five percent under loyalist control as rebels retreated from the main square and troops moved in . Later that evening , rebels and a few local witnesses claimed that the rebels had retaken the main square and that the regime ' s forces were driven back to from the city centre . Forty opposition members and several loyalists were reported killed during the day ' s fighting , including a general and a colonel . Nine rebels were killed in the battle for the square . The suburbs of the city had been confirmed as cleared and captured by loyalists after the government bussed journalists to a floodlit stadium where some 300 Gaddafi supporters were celebrating with fireworks . Loyalists capture the city . On 10 March , the city was retaken by loyalist forces . Reporters from " The Times " and the ITV television network reported from the square in Zawiya where they confirmed it was under government control and clean - up operations were underway . Later , locals confirmed that tanks were lined along the square . The mopping - up operations were focused on smaller remaining pockets of resistance and some street fighting continued during the day . On 11 March , rebels claimed they were still in control in Zawiya . However , just a few hours later , a pro - Gaddafi rally , arranged by the government , was held in the centre of the city , witnessed by 100 foreign journalists , confirming the city was under loyalist control . Aftermath . By early April 2011 , the uprising having been quashed . Thousands of Zawiyans had been taken away for questioning in the last few weeks , according to rebel sources . On 25 April , the Voice of Russia reported that guerrilla attacks had resumed in Zawiya , indicating that the rebels still maintained a presence in the city . Renewed fighting in the city had occurred on 11 June , with anti - Gaddafi forces launching an attack against the city . A spokesman for the rebels ' national council said that the opposition fighters were in control of a large area on the western side of the city . However , there was no independent confirmation of the claim . Later the same day , a Reuters crew confirmed that the coastal road was shut down and deserted , except for a large number of soldiers , police and armed men in civilian clothes . Residents also confirmed that fighting begun during the morning between loyalist forces and rebels and described fighting as " heavy " . However , by late on 12 June , the rebel attack on the city had been defeated and loyalist forces were in firm control , which was confirmed by reporters taken from Tripoli to Zawiya . In early August , anti - Gaddafi forces launched an offensive into the plains surrounding Zawiya , reaching the city outskirts . On 13 August , it was reported that rebel forces had attempted to advance into Zawiya . Governmental officials claimed that the rebels had been defeated , while rebels claimed that they controlled portions of the city , possibly including the city center . Al Jazeera confirmed that rebels had been fighting within the city suburbs and gates . 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 .